Oyo govt presents 2020 Hajj report, promises refund of pilgrims’ remnant funds

By Stephen Gbadamosi

The Oyo State Government has given a report of this year’s pilgrimage to the holy land of Makkah and Medina, saying it is set to begin the refund of unspent funds out of the N2.6 million paid by the pilgrims to the holy land.

The government also said it was ready to refund all the payment made by prospective pilgrims who could not embark on the pilgrimage owing to the lapses occasioned by disruptions in the services of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

The government added that pilgrims who could not make the journey after making full payment for the purpose had the options of coming to the state Pilgrims Welfare Board (Muslim Wing), at Olodo, Ibadan, the state capital, for a refund of the total payment made or use the fund to embark on the next Hajj without incurring any additional cost.

Chairman of the Board, Professor Sayed Tunde Malik, made these disclosures during a press conference he addressed in his office.

According to Professor Malik, despite the hiccups witnessed in the process of embarking on the exercise, this year’s Hajj turned out to be a resounding success, as no pilgrim from the state was involved in any untoward behavior in Saudi Arabia, just as they all retuned without a record of casualty.

He, however, added that the hiccups experienced was no fault of the state government, as similar or even worse experience was recorded in other states of the federation, a development he said made NAHCON to tender apology to all the states few weeks ago.

READ ALSO: South Africa Visa Application Centres resume services.

“It is true that the 2022 Hajj operation was marred by several inadequacies including delay in airlift of intending pilgrims to Makkah and Madinah, delays in payment of Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) to the pilgrims and the inability of some intending pilgrims to perform the Hajj rites.

“Despite that, I am happy to inform you that the 2022 Hajj was eventually successful.

“Apart from the fact that all the initial hitches were solved, there was no record of any casualty among the Oyo State pilgrims throughout the period of the pilgrimage. All the 641 Oyo pilgrims who performed the Hajj in Makkah returned safely.

“The inadequacies mentioned above were not peculiar to Oyo State, as they were experienced by intending pilgrims in other states of the federation. In fact, the problems were worse in some other states. And that was why NAHCON had to tender apology to the state Pilgrims ‘Welfare boards and the tour operators,” Professor Malik said.

The Board chairman denied that it shortchanged the pilgrims from the state, adding that all the state pilgrims received their BTA in full, as the initial complaints of “a few pilgrims” were addressed and none of them was owed.

He added that the state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde had approved the payment of “full money without any deduction to whoever among them that intends to collect his or her money.”

“His Excellency has also directed that those who want to use their money for the 2023 Hajj would be the first to be considered for the exercise and that they would also not make any additional payment to the money they paid this year.

“All pilgrims who performed the 2022 Hajj with the state Pilgrims’ Welfare Board should come to the Olodo Hajj Camp with their receipts for processing of the amount of money to be refunded to them.

“There is a certain amount of money that usually remains after Hajj; I don’t keep it; I have always returned it to the pilgrims, but I can’t say how much it is until the accountants finish their works.

“And all the intending pilgrims who had left their passports with the Board should come here to collect them at any time,” Professor Malik concluded.