Travel agents who are members of the Association of Hajj and Umura Operators of Nigeria are seeking a refund of over N15bn from the National Hajj Commission. The funds are said to be stuck with the commission without a clear explanation.
In response to a statement by the NAHCON regarding the upcoming Arafat, the association’s President, Abdullateef Ekundayo, expressed the need for the commission to address the issue of the trapped funds. AHUON has advised its members to halt preparations for the 2025 Hajj operations until their funds from the 2022 to 2024 operations are released by NAHCON.
Apart from the unresolved issue of the trapped funds, AHUON also raised concerns about other outstanding matters with the regulators.
One of the key issues highlighted by AHUON is the alleged exclusion of its members from the N90bn bailout funds provided by President Bola Tinubu to NAHCON for the 2024 Hajj operations, without any justification from the commission.
Contrary to NAHCON’s claim of engaging in discussions with AHUON, Ekundayo refuted this assertion entirely. He emphasized that the commission owes AHUON members a significant amount, affecting their businesses.
Ekundayo stated, “NAHCON owes our members over N15bn. After each Hajj operation, the Saudi government typically refunds money to countries for services not rendered, substandard services, and tent security deposits. Our members are owed these funds from the 2022 Hajj onwards, but NAHCON has not taken steps to facilitate the refund process.”
He further added, “Despite receiving 20,000,000.SR from the Saudi authority since December last year, NAHCON has not formally communicated with us regarding the refund. The commission has also failed to release caution deposits totaling over N2.7bn from the last Hajj operation, as agreed upon.”
According to Ekundayo, the delay in refunding the funds is negatively impacting the operations of AHUON members, and he called on NAHCON to address the issue promptly.