2024 Hajj: Oyo State extends payment deadline

In its bids to ensure that no intending pilgrim is left out of the forthcoming spiritual Hajj exercise, the Oyo State Government has announced an extension of the deadline for the payment of the 2024 Hajj to January 31, 2024.

The government disclosed this in a statement issued by the Chairman, Oyo State Pilgrims Welfare’s Board (Muslim Wing), Sheikh Hashim Atere.

In the statement, Atere opined that the extension would serve as another golden opportunity for those that could not complete their payment in time before the 31st of December deadline earlier fixed, to balance it up and others who are yet to make any payment, to now make it before the end of January, 2024.

He noted that intending pilgrims could still make their payment in instalments, enjoining other people that also have the intention of performing the 2024 Hajj exercise but could not afford to make the payment in full for now, to first show their commitment to the Board with the aim of completing the payment before the month runs out.

The Chairman stated that the Hajj payment could be made to any of the designated bank accounts of the Board, either directly and physically to the banks or through the bank apps, after which the teller/print-out would be submitted for government receipt.

He urged intending pilgrims to visit either the Board’s Olodo office or its annex, within the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) premises, Ile-Akede, Oríta-Bashorun Ibadan, for further inquiries.

The Islamic Scholar affirmed that the extension is in line with the announcement recently made by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

NAHCON had, few months ago, announced the sum of Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (#4.5M) as initial deposit for the 2024 Hajj and fixed 31st December, 2023, as deadline for all intending pilgrims across the nation to end the payment.

However, on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, in a statement released on its official website, NAHCON disclosed that it had extended the deadline to January 31, 2024, expressing confidence that before the expiration of the new date, with the support of the State Hajj Commissions across the nation, it would have determined the total amount of the 2024 Hajj.