ZMSG announces 2010 hajj fares, offers N170m subsidy

Posted: Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Zamfara State government has approved 588,700 Naira and 479,700 Naira as maximum and minimum fares respectively for the 2010 hajj. The Chairman, Zamfara Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Mallaha, announced this yesterday in Gusau while addressing newsmen. 
 He said that Governor Mamuda  Shinkafi had also approved about 170 million  Naira as subsidy on feeding and accommodation for the 5,560 pilgrims performing the hajj from the state. The chairman stated that, out of the total subsidy package, about 57million Naira would be spent on free feeding for pilgrims at Muna and Arafat.
He further said that, under the feeding arrangement, an estimated 10,000 Naira would be spent to provide each pilgrim with three free square meals daily. Mallaha also said that the government had further made a subsidy of 500 Saudi Riyals, an equivalent of 20,000 Naira on the accommodation of each pilgrim.
According to him, the gesture is to make them comfortable in order to be able to discharge their religious obligations without any hindrance. He said that the state government had also taken care of transportation, uniforms and identity cards for the pilgrims.
The chairman said that government had decided to coordinate the animal sacrifice of the pilgrims in the Holy land and that each pilgrim would therefore pay 18,860 Naira extra.  Mallaha stated that 5,660 seats had been tentatively approved for the state by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), but that the state had made a case for more.
Meanwhile, the agency has given all pilgrims till July 30, to complete payment of their fares or forfeit their chances to other interested persons.