Sokoto state Pilgrims welfare Agency (PWA) has called on intending Pilgrims from the state to hasten to pay their hajj fares ahead of December 25th deadline set up by the National Hajj Commission.
Chairman of the Agency Alhaji Aliyu Musa made the call while speaking to our correspondent in sokoto shortly after his meeting with all the 23 local Government areas Hajj registration officer and other stakeholders in the state.
He said the call became necessary in view of reforms and measures introduced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2024 Hajj exercises.
The PWA boss urged registration officers to intensify efforts in selling all the allocated Hajj seats made available to their respective local government areas of operation.
He noted the urgency of the situation, while stressing the necessity for collecting N4.5 million initial deposits from intending pilgrims before December 25th, the action which he said would give the Agency more courage to go ahead with it’s preparations so as to meet the appointed date.
The Sokoto Pilgrims boss however directed local government hajj registration officers to intensify effort in the sales and collections of deposits from the intending Pilgrims for seats allocated to their council areas.
Musa further explained that, this year Sokoto state government was allocated 4,996 Hajj seats for onward sales to intending Pilgrims from the state.
He said this year each intending Pilgrim, is expected to deposit 4.5 million naira pending the official announcement of the exact fair by the national Hajj Commission.
Musa disclosed that, despite the current hash economic conditions, intending Pilgrims from the state were daily patronizing the Agency to make deposits for their secured Hajj seats.
He said, the 2024 Hajj preparations had already commenced, expressing optimism that the plans and measures put in place by the Agency would yield positive results.
“We adverse through the media and it was publicly announced that intending pilgrims From the state should deposit N4.5 million as initial deposit.
” There is no surprise if there is any drop in the amount, intending pilgrims will be reimburse or even ask to pay less, than the N4.5 million as earlier announced”, he said.
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“Efforts is being intensified by the Agency to secure decent and befitting accomodations for Pilgrims from the state in both Makkah and Madina, which is subject to the deposits made by intending Pilgrims and the approval of the national Hajj Commission .
