The Kaduna Pilgrims’ Welfare Agency has advised intending pilgrims to ensure full payment for the 2024 Hajj fares before the February 12 deadline.

The Executive Chairman of the agency, Salihu Abubakar, made the call while speaking with journalists on Tuesday in Kaduna.

He said the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria directed pilgrims to ensure full payment of the Hajj fares before the dateline, stressing that defaulters would forfeit their rights.

According to Mr Abubakar, preparations are in top gear to ensure smooth and hitch-free Hajj exercises in Saudi Arabia.

He said that NAHCON had made concessions to enable intending pilgrims who indicated interest in performing the Hajj to participate in the exercise.

“But an adjustment was necessary due to external factors beyond our control, especially the fluctuations in the foreign exchange,” he said.

The agency, he said, registered over 4,000 intending pilgrims in the state, adding that the pilgrims had been issued with bank tellers in respect of individual payments.

Mr Abubakar enjoined the intending pilgrims to make payments through the designated local government registration officers to ensure that they were captured in the register.

The secretary also warned against registration by proxy, adding that elderly pilgrims should be accompanied by a relative throughout the exercise.

Assuring the pilgrims of a smooth exercise, Mr Abubakar said the agency was in collaboration with the NAHCON to enhance effective service delivery. 

(NAN)