metro

Hajj fare: Why NAHCON charged pilgrims additional $100 each

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2023

Hajj fare: Why NAHCON charged pilgrims additional $100 each

Despite repeated assurances to the contrary, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has resorted to charging additional $100 each from the 75,000 states pilgrims because of the Sudan’s civil war.

The local air carriers had earlier demanded an increase per pilgrim as additional cost occasioned by additional flight time to Saudi Arabia because of the closure of the Sudan air space. Consequently, $250 was agreed between the carriers and commission after the negotiations.

The commission said the federal government has waived the remaining 35 percent aviation charges (having waived 65 percent earlier), which translates to $55.

“The liability of the remaining $195 will be borne by 75,000 pilgrims which is calculated at $117 per pilgrim (one hundred and seventeen Dollars),” the commission said in a letter dated May 18, signed by NAHCON chairman and CEO Zikirullah Kunle Hassan, and sent to the state governors and the Minister of State for FCT Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu; and copied the executive secretaries of the state pilgrims boards.

The commission, according to the official communications, said it will deduct $100 each from the $800 Basic Traveling Allowance (BTA) of the pilgrims.

Parts of the letter reads, “the Commission resolved to reduce the Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) for 2023 Haj Pilgrims to the sum of $700 (Seven hundred Dollars) as against Eight Hundred Dollars ($800.00) previously provided.”

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This newspaper had earlier reported plans by the hajj commission to deduct the fare increase from the pilgrims BTA. But on Saturday May 13, Mr Hassan, during his opening remarks at the Opening Ceremony and Dinner of a One- Day Workshop Seminar on Hajj Management, impliedly denied that, saying the commission will not ask pilgrims to make any increment.

The air ticket component of the 2023 hajj fare for northern states was pegged at $1,780 (N826, 810 at N464.5/$ official exchange rate). While the southern states pay $1, 950 (N898,000).

With the $250 increment now, the flight ticket will rise to $2,030 (N942,935) for northern pilgrims, and $2,200 (N1,021,900) for southern pilgrims.

However, findings by this newspaper revealed that an average return ticket from Abuja to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia through Egypt Air cost N887,502; while the same return ticket cost N538,841 on Ethiopian Airlines.

Aviation experts told this newspaper that this makes Nigerian hajj flight ticket one of the most expensive in the world.

This is clear from the way it surpassed the return ticket being charged by Ethiopian Air (N538,841); and Egypt Air’s N887,502 to Jeddah and Madinah.

Also, both Ethiopian and Egypt airlines are equally spending almost 7 hours flight time to Jeddah/ Madinah from Nigeria due to the Sudan conflict which is the raison d’être for the $250 hike.

In the letter, NAHCON said all the BTA of the 75,000 pilgrims will be deducted and share to the four local airlines – Max Air, Air Peace, Azman Air and Aero Contractors.- that refused to sign the airlift agreement because of the Sudan conflict.

The Saudi Arabian -designated airline Flynas, which was the only carrier that signed the agreement despite the conflict in Sudan, was surprisingly excluded from the sharing even though its over 28,000 allocated pilgrims from Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Niger, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states will be affected by the $100 deduction.

It was reliably gathered that state executive secretaries of the nine states allocated to Flynas are planning a showdown with NAHCON tomorrow Monday. They vow to resist the commission plans to deduct their pilgrims BTA and give to other airlines that won’t airlift their pilgrims, a source said.

Aviation stakeholders have criticized NAHCON over this arbitrary decision, saying “why deducting Flynas pilgrims BTA to share it to others.”

Hajj fare: Why NAHCON charged pilgrims additional $100 each

metro

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

Published

14 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

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According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

metro

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

Published

14 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

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“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

metro

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Published

15 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

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He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.