- 2,717 Nigerian pilgrims will get over N23bn in refunds after missing the Saudi visa deadline.
- NAHCON secured accommodations and extended deadlines but some missed payment.
- No penalties will apply for late registrations.
The Federal Government of Nigeria may refund about N23bn to 2,717 intending pilgrims who were denied visas by Saudi authorities due to late registrations.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that on February 12, 2025, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria announced that it had successfully secured accommodation for 52,000 intending pilgrims in Mashair, the sacred site in Makkah, ahead of the Saudi Arabian deadline.
The Commission’s Assistant Director of Information and Publication, Fatima Usara, in a statement, disclosed that NAHCON had already paid for 26,287 spaces, while another 26,000 were reserved pending the completion of remittances by other intending pilgrims.
On May 5, the airlift of pilgrims commenced, and as of May 25, a total of 34,647 Nigerian pilgrims had arrived in Makkah, according to the Deputy Coordinator of NAHCON’s Office in the holy city, Alidu Shutti.
However, the commission revealed that 2,717 intending pilgrims were unable to secure visas for the pilgrimage due to late registration, following the closure of the Saudi visa portal.
In response to this, Usara on Thursday said that the affected pilgrims would receive full refunds.
“Yes, they will get their full refunds,” she said.
According to NAHCON, an average Hajj fare was N8.5m, meaning that the total refunds could exceed N23bn if each of the 2,717 pilgrims denied visas receives a full refund of their money.
On Monday, the Commission expressed deep regret over the development, despite its repeated efforts to persuade Saudi authorities to reopen the visa portal, even if only for a single hour.
NAHCON disclosed that it had facilitated four extensions of the visa issuance deadline and had secured Mashair slots as far back as February for Hajj coordinators in both the public and private sectors, all in a bid to forestall visa denials.
Yet, despite several warnings about the April 19, 2025 deadline for visa issuance and its implications, some intending pilgrims failed to complete their Hajj payments before May 19, 2025, when the registration portal was eventually closed.
However, NAHCON’s Assistant Director of Information and Publication, Fatima Usara, clarified that there would be no penalties for late registration and that the affected pilgrims would receive full refunds.
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“Yes, they will get their full refunds,” Usara said.
