Hours after Apex News Exclusive story, President Tinubu directs NAHCON to reduce 2026 Hajj fares

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President Bola Tinubu has instructed the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to immediately reduce the recently announced costs of the 2026 Hajj fares.

The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadeija, announced this during a briefing with State House Correspondents after a meeting with NAHCON officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This comes less than  24 hours after Apex News Exclusive published an exclusive report suggesting that the Hajj fare could have been as low as N6.7 million. The newspaper reports that the 2026 Hajj fare can be reduced by at least N1,384,732 through the following: Makkah houses discount (N298,400), service charge reversal to pre-2022 template (N161,505), air ticket reduction (N373,000), exchange rate differential (N552,827), among others. 

The report also debunked NAHCON’s claim that it had secured a N19 billion reduction  —N200,000 for each intending pilgrim — after intensive negotiations with Saudi service providers.

The commission had last week announced the 2026 Hajj fares as follows: Maiduguri /Yola Zone – N8,318,336.67, Northern states – N8,244,813.67, and Southern states – N8,561,013.67.

However, Senator Hadeija explained that Tinubu felt the commission needed to explore the possibility of reducing the Hajj fare.

He said, “This meeting was essentially called at the instance of His Excellency, the Vice President, to look at the possibility of reducing the Hajj fare for the 2026 pilgrimage.

“As you know, the hajj fare component is about 95 and 96 per cent foreign exchange-based.

‘The fares announced by the NAHCON were based on a very pessimistic exchange rate of N1,550.

“And the rates have continued to improve steadily with the naira appreciating based on the effects of the economic reforms of the government taken place.”

Mr Hadeija stated that the vice president believed that, since pilgrims paid between N8.5 and N8.6 million last year based on a negative exchange rate, now that the exchange rate had improved, the benefits should be passed on to them.

He added, “Then we should also pass the benefits to them, and all the officers of the Hajj commission are here, and they have been told to immediately go and look at more realistic exchange rates.

“If they apply that we should be able to bring the hajj fare to N7.6 to N7.7 million.

“The final figure will be announced in the next two days.

“But this is also dependent on very quick remittance of the funds from the State Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Boards.

“The faster the pilgrims pay their hajj fares and they are remitted to the hajj commission, the faster they can pass it to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to buy the dollars for them.

“So, if we achieve that, we foresee a situation where pilgrims this year will have a very significant reduction in the Hajj rate.”

On his part, the Chairman of Kebbi Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Faruk Yaro, expressed gratitude to Tinubu and Shettima for their timely intervention.

He said, “We are very happy because the president and the vice-president have already intervened.

“We thank God for what they have done, which is expected to bring down the cost of Hajj fares.”

Pakistan dares EFCC, defies Shettima’s order 

It was observed that the NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, was notably absent from the meeting. Security sources said Mr Pakistan was present at the Presidential Villa during the meeting, but upon seeing him, Mr Shettima directed him to proceed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to respond to their invitation.

Vice President Shettima meets with NAHCON officials

The anti-corruption agency is investigating NAHCON over alleged fraud involving billions of naira, and it has detained and questioned top officers of the commission to date. 

This newspaper gathered that Mr Pakistan was billed to appear before the anti-graft agency on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. But he sought an extension to travel to Saudi Arabia and it was rescheduled to October 2, 2025. But he didn’t go on that day after his return from Saudi Arabia. 

Even when he was directed to proceed to the EFCC, Mr Pakistan reliably refused to go, instead he attended an International Forum of  Saudi Graduates event held in Abuja today — in open defiance to the VP and the EFCC. 

Mr. Pakistan at Saudi graduates event

Days earlier, Mr Pakistan has granted an interview to an Islamic online blog, where he was seen calling the bluff of the EFCC, saying to the effect that he was not afraid of the anti-graft  agency because even if he’s investigated they cannot prove the allegations against him. 

Some of the NAHCON issues under investigation include the alleged squandering of N25 billion on Masha’ir extra space, N1.6 billion on NAHCON staff spouses, and the N8 billion on Makkah contingency bed spaces.

Others include the alleged extra-budgetary spending of over 300 per cent of his approved budget; N25 billion expended on officials, staff, and board members; N1.4 billion as allowances of committees; and the mismanagement of Madinah bed spaces from 11,000 to 18,000 for 41,000 pilgrims.

On September 16, 2025, the NAHCON Secretary, Dr Mustapha Muhammad Ali, was grilled by the EFCC throughout that day and later released on bail over the same allegations. 

Earlier, the anti-graft commission had grilled and detained permanent other top officials that included Commissioner of Policy, Personnel and Finance (PPMF), Aliu Abdulrazak; and Commissioner of Planning, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar A. Yagawal; directors, deputy and assistant directors, special advisers to the chairman, among others.

Stakeholders who spoke to this newspaper have commended President Tinubu and VP Shettima for their timely intervention in directing NAHCON to reduce the Hajj fares. 

They also lauded Apex News Exclusive for its investigative reports that drew the Presidency’s attention to the need to slash the Hajj fares.