News Investigators/ The Chairman of Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (SPWA), Aliyu Musa, has commended President Bola Tinubu on his effort that ensured the reduction of Hajj fare for 2026 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Mr Musa made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Sokoto.
Speaking through the agency’s Director of Administration, Alhaji Ladan Ibrahim, Musa urged intending pilgrims to hasten payment before Dec. 5, 2025 dateline.
He said the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) had announced a substantial downward review of the Hajj fare for the 2026 pilgrimage.
According to him, the revised cost for the Northern zone which included Sokoto state at present is N7,696,769.76 which previously was N8,244,813.67.
The chairman said the reduction was based on the president’s efforts and urged intending pilgrims who made deposits to complete the payment while fresh pilgrims to use the window to pay before the dateline.
Mr Musa reminded people that the considerations of first-come-first-serve on Hajj fare remittance was priotise to ensure transparency.
He explained that the agency had made arrangements to conduct meeting with local government desk officers, community leaders and other stakeholders to facilitate more awareness on the new development.
The chairman stressed that the prospective pilgrims to ensure that they obtained receipts on all deposits made through desk officers or banks respectively.
He stressed that all cash payments, payments through proxy or third person payments were abrogated and every transaction is being conducted online to ensure transparency on all dealings.
He stated that considering the time constraints and Saudi Arabia’s payment framework, intending pilgrims are advised to complete their Hajj fare remittances before Dec. 5. 2025.
He commended Gov. Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto state for his support to the agency that facilitated improvements and successes while he urged the stakeholders to support the agency in order to achieve the desired results.
NAN
