The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said it is working with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on matters of offshore refunds for services not rendered to Private Tour Operators during pilgrimage, as well as on the paucity of Umrah visas.
NAHCON’s Commissioner for Operations, Prince Anofi Elegushi, disclosed this during a meeting with the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) in Abuja.
The meeting was called in preparation for the 2025 Hajj. Prior to the virtual meeting with members of the Tour Operator Companies, NAHCON had earlier met with the leadership of the Hajj private sector in Nigeria.
The Commissioner briefed participants on several issues, including the outcome of the virtual meeting with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia, as well as the outcome of the meeting with AHOUN leadership.
It would be recalled that Private Tour Operators under the aegis of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators in Nigeria (AHUON) had expressed concerns over a number of issues.
NAHCON’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, in a statement on Sunday, said Elegushi, who chaired the meeting, spoke on several issues, including explaining to AHOUN leadership that the caution deposit is meant to compensate any pilgrim with genuine claims of disservice by a Tour Operator.
According to him, the normal procedure after every Hajj is for NAHCON to refund pilgrims who did not attend the Hajj from the defaulting company’s caution deposit.
“Hence, an advertisement is first placed in any national daily newspaper inviting complaints from pilgrims. After the advertisement expires in one month, those companies without any indictment are considered eligible for refunds and will be invited for reconciliation, after which they can apply for a refund or roll-over.
“Any company found wanting, on the other hand, will wait for the outcome of an investigation, followed by reconciliation and payment of the refund after submitting its formal request.”
He further explained that in 2023, out of 241 Tour Operators that deposited the caution deposit of N5 million each, 139 requested and received their refunds. Seventy companies requested a roll-over of their deposit to 2024 instead of a refund. The remaining number were companies yet to be cleared of allegations or yet to apply for their refunds or roll-over.
As for the 2024 refund of caution deposits, the invitation for complaints ended on the 10th of August this year, after which only 26 companies had applied for a refund at the time of the meeting.
“The process is still ongoing. However, due to new developments in the Commission, payment could not be made at that time without an approving officer, who is the Chairman/CEO. Prince Elegushi confirmed during the virtual meeting that many companies have already started receiving their refunds, while some have requested roll-overs. He called on those yet to request a refund to do so or roll-over for next year,” the statement explained.
Elegushi assured the operators that NAHCON has been engaging with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to address the challenges, noting that a virtual meeting was held on September 4, 2024.
The statement added: “On certain offshore plights, Prince Elegushi assured the AHUON leadership that the Commission has been in liaison with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on matters of offshore refunds for services not rendered to Private Tour Operators, as well as on the paucity of Umrah visas.
“These contentious issues, he assured them, formed part of the discussions during the virtual meeting held with the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry on the 4th of September 2024. Hopefully, there are strong indications of a headway. He assured concerned AHOUN members that NAHCON will hold further discussions with the Hajj Ministry with a view to resolving the issues.”
“Similarly, to clear up AHUON’s demand for a N20,000,000 share from the Hajj Development Levy, Prince Elegushi informed the AHUON representatives that the Commission’s Establishment Act does not recognise cash withdrawal from the levy to pay individuals or organisations. What the mandate stipulates is the funding of projects that will be beneficial to the welfare of pilgrims and pilgrims’ managers.”
“As part of new developments relayed to NAHCON by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU) during the virtual meeting, the Honourable Commissioner for Operations disclosed to the Tour Operators and their representatives that the Saudi MoHU had reduced the number of lead Tour Operator Companies conducting the 2025 Hajj from 40 last year to 20.”
Furthermore, the Commissioner promised to present AHUON’s request for a reduction of the caution deposit. This is after the group’s earlier request for reduction had been met. However, a member today again asked for further reduction, which the Commissioner promised to escalate to management.
The group had also requested that the deposit be made as Bank Guarantees instead of a cash transfer. However, Prince Elegushi advised members to suspend the request for raising Bank Guarantees this year due to complexities that would need to be addressed before implementation. He promised that NAHCON would continue working on this option to perfect it. He also suggested that the Bank Guarantee could run alongside the cash deposit concurrently.”
AHUON President, Alhaji Abdullateef Ekundayo, appreciated NAHCON for holding the meeting.
He expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to discuss critical issues with the Commission as the regulators, while also declaring readiness to accord NAHCON the respect it deserves as the association expects the same from the Commission.