President Bola Tinubu has directed an immediate downward review of the 2026 Hajj fare, in line with the continued appreciation of the Naira against the Dollar, a key determinant of pilgrimage costs.
 
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who conveyed the President’s directive yesterday during a meeting with the management and board of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, gave the commission two days to produce new, realistic fares.
 
He urged national and state Hajj officials, including governors, to work in synergy to adopt the new fare structure, and pressed for prompt payments and remittances to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to guarantee a smooth operation.
 
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadeija, said the session was to finalise preparations for the 2026 Hajj, with a major focus on reducing costs for intending pilgrims.
 
According to him, the administration’s economic reforms have strengthened the Naira, making it imperative that the benefits reflect in the amount pilgrims would pay.
 
NAHCON Secretary, Dr Mustapha Mohammad, welcomed the directive, describing it as a boost to this year’s preparations.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Kebbi State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board and Deputy Chairman of the Forum of Chief Executives of State Pilgrims Boards, Faruk Aliyu Yaro, lauded the intervention
 
NAHCON, after due consultations with relevant stakeholders, announced the 2026 Hajj fare as follows: the Maiduguri-Yola Zone (comprising Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, and Taraba) to pay N8,318,336.67.
 
Others are: Northern states would pay N8,244,813.67, while southern states are to pay N8,561,013.67, respectively.