Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has directed the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board to begin the sale of forms to intending pilgrims for the 2024 (1445 A.H) Hajj and Ramadan Umrah operations.
The State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr. Ibrahim Layode confirmed this information through a statement signed by the Board Secretary, Mr. Olayiwola Saheed Onipede.
According to the statement, the Commissioner mentioned that Governor Sanwo-Olu gave the directive for early commencement of the operations in order to build on the achievements recorded during the last exercise and provide improved service delivery for the intending pilgrims.
Layode noted that the early commencement would give every intending pilgrim the opportunity to fulfill all the necessary requirements within the timeframe given by the Saudi Arabian authorities for every participating country to conclude the process before the commencement of the spiritual exercise in 2024.
The statement reads: “The cost of the Hajj form is Twenty Thousand Naira only while the Ramadan Umrah form goes for Ten Thousand Naira only.
The requirements expected from the intending pilgrims include; a valid International passport, payment of initial deposit of Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira and medical screening to ascertain their health status, amongst others.
“Also, the initial deposit as earlier announced by the Chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Barr. Zhikrullah Kunle Hassan still subsists and if there would be a need for any adjustment in the nearest future, the intending pilgrims and the general public would be informed accordingly.”
While urging interested Muslims residing in the State and those from other States in Nigeria to hasten to obtain their form for either Hajj or Ramadan Umrah, he gave assurances that the State is committed to providing them with the enabling environment to carry out their spiritual obligations seamlessly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The statement urged any individuals, groups, or organizations interested in performing the holy pilgrimages through Lagos State to contact the following numbers 08023300090, 08023311460, or 08023174373 for further inquiries.
Recall that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah recently announced the allocation of 950,000 Hajj seats to Nigeria for the 2024 exercise, as the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria allocated 3,517 slots to Lagos State.
Dominica Nwabufo
