Some of the pilgrims travelling for Hajj this year said they will take advantage of their stay in the holy land to pray against the CBN policy that leads to them receiving only $200 cash as opposed to the $500 approved by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
HAJJ REPORTERS had reported how pilgrims from the FCT and Nasarawa state travelling on the inaugural flight in Abuja were given only $200 as Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) instead of the NAHCON approved $500 which usually comes in cash.
Speaking Exclusively to HAJJ REPORTERS at the FCT Transit camp, the pilgrims who were speaking at the top of their voices said “only God can judge CBN. They are selling dollars to us at a higher price and even after collecting our money for $500 they are only giving us $200 in cash and insisting on imposing payment cards when they know most of us don’t know how to use the card. No problem, we are going to the holy land and we will pray against them to God”
Another pilgrim, who followed this reporter said “I foresee serious problems in Saudi Arabia for this year. This money they are giving us is not enough at all. Even the $500 is just manageable and they are now reducing it to $200. The CBN governor should know that God is watching him and will judge him accordingly”.
“Many of us are first timers and we don’t know how we are going to cope with only $200 in foreign land. There is no way we can travel without buying one or two things for our kids. We also understand that some of us depend on special diets due to health challenges and may not like to eat the food being supplied by the appointed caterers in Saudi Arabia. What kind of inhuman policy is this?”
