[T]he National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said it would refund N1.7 billion to some deserving 2015 pilgrims.
Chairman of the commission, Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad said this on Wednesday at the opening of Application Form and Screening of Air Carriers for 2016 Hajj Airlift.
According to him, the monies were recovered as excesses from service providers for services not rendered to pilgrims or what was paid in excess by affected pilgrims.
He therefore urged affected pilgrims to approach their respective state pilgrims’ welfare boards for reimbursement.
He also said the Saudi Arabia Authorities approved 76, 000 slots for Nigeria, similar to last year’s allocation, and that the commission has shared the slots among the 36 states of the federation, the FCT and the Armed Forces contingent.
He said Saudi Arabia approved 66,000 slots for pilgrims from government quota and 10,000 for pilgrims coming through the Private Tour Operators.
He also inaugurated a 35-member “2016 Hajj Air Carriers Screening Committee” headed by the Commissioner Operations, Alhaji Abdullahi Modibbo Saleh comprising of 30 committee members and five secretariat staff.
The committee also comprises of representatives of the states pilgrims welfare board (SPWB), NAHCON board members, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and other relevant governmental agencies.
