Saudi Arabian government has come out with a rule to impose a compulsory levy equivalent of N163,000 on all Nigerian pilgrims, who regularly visit the Holy land to perform Hajj and or Umrah.
The levy, which was announced by the Saudi Arabian Hajj Ministry and it became fully effective during the 2017 Hajj exercise, is aside from the introduction of a five per cent Value Added Tax on all services, exclude food items and medical drugs.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Barrister Mukhtar Abdullahi Muhammad made these known in Sokoto today, Saturday, at a sensitization campaign organized by the Commission for prospective pilgrims and officials of the Pilgrims Welfare Agencies (PWA), from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States.
He said that the pilgrims are to pay SR2,000, an equivalent to N163,000, which was exclusive of the substantive fare for the 2018 Hajj that is yet to be announced by the federal government.
The NACON boss, who was represented by the National Commissioner in Charge of Operations, Alhaji Abdullahi Sale, said that the campaign was organized to intimate the nation’s prospective pilgrims. [myad]
