News
Hajj 2025: Poor turnout as fare payment deadline ends today
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Nigeria may not fully utilise the hajj seats allocated it by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the 2025 hajj pilgrimage due to low turnout as the payment deadline lapses today.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) set the payment deadline for January 31, and reports indicate that there will likely be a repeat of last year’s situation where only 51,447 pilgrims paid, despite Nigeria receiving 95,000 slots.
The same number of slots have been allocated for 2025, but officials attribute the low turnout to the high hajj fares and short payment window.
This year’s hajj fare ranges between N8.3m and N8.7m for pilgrims travelling with state welfare boards. Those booking with private tour operators face even higher fares.
The early payment deadline was set by Saudi Arabia’s new policy, which requires all participating countries to finalise agreements four months before the start of the hajj to allow for better logistics planning.
While the payment deadline was extended last year due to low turnout, it remains unclear if that will happen this year.
FCT
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the territory’s Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board said only 700 intending pilgrims had completed payments by the deadline.
The board was allocated 4,148 seats, with 40% (1,659) reserved for the Jaiz Bank hajj scheme. The remaining 60% (2,489) were for general pilgrims, but as of January 30, only 700 had paid.
Muhammad Lawal Aliyu, the board’s spokesman, said while people are still rushing to make payments, the final count will be determined after the deadline.
States
In Kano State, which was allocated 4,356 seats, 2,100 intending pilgrims had completed their payments by January 30. The state government set February 3 as the payment deadline.
Sokoto State has 5,216 seats allocation, but officials are still compiling payment data from local governments and expect to finalize the list by February 2.
In Kaduna, over 6,000 seats have been allocated, and registration continues at 24 centres across the state. Officials could not confirm the exact number of registered pilgrims as of January 30, but they are hopeful that many will pay before the February 5 deadline.
In Kwara, the Pilgrims Welfare Board confirmed that over 1,000 pilgrims had made payments, with 4,365 seats allocated. The figure is expected to rise before the payment deadline.
Gombe had 1,480 seats allocated, but only 500 pilgrims had paid by January 30. The state is still encouraging more pilgrims to complete payments before the February 2025 deadline.
In Lagos, 500 pilgrims had completed their registration, but less than 50% of the 2,000 allocated seats have been filled as of January 30.
Officials cited the high cost of the hajj as a barrier, noting that many pilgrims were struggling to pay due to the economic situation in the country.
Alhaji Abdulfatah Abdulmojeed, a stakeholder in hajj operations, urged states to remit the funds for pilgrims who have paid to NAHCON to avoid delays in the preparation for the pilgrimage.
He also emphasised the importance of the Hajj Savings Scheme, similar to those in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, to help Nigerian pilgrims manage the high costs.
He noted that the current economic situation may prevent Nigeria from filling all 95,000 hajj slots.
Efforts to reach NAHCON’s spokesman, Muhammad Ahmed, were unsuccessful. His phone number wasn’t reachable, and he also didn’t respond to text messages.
However, an internal source indicated that the commission might not extend the deadline due to the agreements already made with service providers for the 2025 Hajj.
He said early payments are crucial to securing accommodation and other logistics for Nigerian pilgrims.
By Faruk Shuaibu & Hussein Yahaya (Abuja) Salim Umar Ibrahim (Kano) Abubakar Auwal, (Sokoto) Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba (Kaduna) Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin) Haruna Gimba Yaya (Gombe) & Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos)
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.
“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”
The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
A group known as “Friends of Seyi Tinubu (FOST) has reacted to the alleged abduction and brutalization of Abubakar Atiku Isah in Abuja on Tuesday by Seyi Tinubu.
The group said never at any point has Seyi Tinubu ordered thugs to abduct and brutalise one Comrade Atiku Abubakar Isah, who claims to be President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The group described allegations against Seyi Tinubu as reckless, saying it’s an attempt to tarnish the good reputation of the President’s son.
A statement by the President of the group, Com. Adejorin Tai Manuel, condemned the publication dated April 16, 2025, alleging Seyi Tinubu was behind the attack on Atiku.
The statement reads:
“Mr. Seyi Tinubu is a young, focused, and accomplished individual who has no time, business, or interest in the politics of NANS, let alone stooping so low as to orchestrate violence against someone who is clearly unknown to him.
“The claim that Seyi Tinubu even recognises or acknowledges Comrade Atiku as a threat or enemy is laughable and clearly fabricated. Seyi Tinubu is not a member of NANS, not a patron, nor is he involved in any student political process. He remains committed to his personal and national development engagements, which are far beyond the narrow scope of campus politics.
“It is important to clarify that Comrade Atiku Abubakar Isah does not represent Nigerian students. His claims of being elected at the so-called “125th NANS Convention” are factually incorrect and devoid of logic. NANS, which was founded in 1980, has not held up to 125 conventions in its history. Atiku did not attend the last constitutionally recognized NANS convention, nor did he participate in any legitimate electoral process.
“There is no record of any election conducted that produced him. He has no known executive council, no vice president, no secretary-general, no financial secretary, or any EXCO member to support his claims. He merely woke up, declared himself president, and began parading the title across media platforms without mandate or legitimacy.
“One wonders who Atiku represents, where his mandate originated from, and how the medium failed to ask the most basic questions about his legitimacy before giving him a platform to spread lies.
“The so-called “election” that produced him remains invisible, with no evidence of senator participation or institutional backing. He has been rejected by the mainstream NANS community, and the public deserves to know that the association operates with structure and order not propaganda.
“Dragging the name of Seyi Tinubu into this charade is a calculated smear campaign designed to attract public sympathy and give credibility to a failed quest for recognition.
“But Nigerians are wiser than that. Seyi Tinubu has no business with impostors. His focus remains on uplifting youth, driving entrepreneurship, and contributing meaningfully to the nation’s development—not getting entangled in student leadership dramas. It is therefore absurd and insulting that a man of his pedigree would be linked to such crude behavior.”
…handover Ogbeche, Osadebamwen, others to EFCC for probe
Speaking during a media interaction in Abuja, the Council under the leadership of Comrade Grace Ike shared details of the inquiry conducted by a committee established by the NUJ Congress. The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to enhance organisational accountability and strengthen internal governance systems.
The five-man panel, chaired by veteran journalist, Comrade Tony Akowe, included Comrade Ndubueze Chidoka (Secretary), Comrade Akin Orimolade, Comrade Princess Ekwi Ajide, and Comrade Imam Umar.
The committee’s scope covered activities from December 2018 to October 2021, encompassing the periods of past administrations led by Emmanuel Ogbeche and Patrick Osadebamwen.
According to the committee’s documentation, critical gaps were observed in record-keeping and transitional documentation. In addition, there was limited engagement from some former officeholders during the review process. The only available financial review for the period in question reportedly presented inconsistencies requiring further attention.
The committee noted that its work was hampered by a lack of cooperation from key figures of the past administration. According to Mr Akowe, no formal handover was done, and only a limited set of documents including one audited financial report and some rental receipts was made available.
Efforts to retrieve further documentation from the former chairman, Mr Patrick Osadebamwen, proved unsuccessful. He reportedly claimed to have submitted relevant documents to the NUJ National Secretariat, which has since denied receiving any such records.
The probe uncovered several questionable financial entries and unverified expenditures:
• A total of ₦33 million was declared as rental income between 2018 and 2021, but there was no breakdown showing the names of tenants or corresponding rent periods.
• The administration claimed to have received ₦7.2 million in donations yet failed to provide details or evidence of the sources.
• ₦5.28 million was spent on salaries for four to five staff, even though no single staff member earned more than ₦25,000 monthly.
• Over ₦1.7 million was reportedly spent on electricity, ₦285,000 on DStv/GOtv subscriptions, ₦78,000 on “public relations and entertainment”, and ₦1 million on transport and accommodation—all lacking adequate justification.
• A controversial line item showed ₦14 million received as rent “in advance”, with no associated documentation to validate it.
The committee’s report concluded that there was no transparency in the management of the union’s finances during the period under review.
Following the probe report, the NUJ-FCT Congress, in its sitting on 12 April 2025, adopted a series of resolutions aimed at protecting the Union’s integrity and financial stability.
The Council issued a public disclaimer against the following individuals, who have been warned to cease parading themselves as representatives of the NUJ-FCT Council:
• Mr Emmanuel Ogbeche, currently Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State.
• Mr Patrick Osadebamwen, immediate past Chairman and journalist with the Nigerian Tribune.
• Mr Ochiaka Ugwu, former Secretary of the Council and staff of People’s Daily.
In addition, Mrs Gloria Essien has been cautioned against representing the Council at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), as she no longer holds any official position within the NUJ-FCT.
The union also called on UBA Bank to freeze the NUJ-FCT Council’s accounts still under the control of former signatories (Account Nos: 1022765326, 1014057659, and Dollar Account: 3002941904), pending a full transition to the current leadership.
Furthermore, the NUJ-FCT will:
• Publish a formal disclaimer in national dailies.
• Notify the employers of the former officials about the resolutions.
• Alert government institutions, corporate bodies, and the general public not to engage with the aforementioned individuals on behalf of the NUJ-FCT Council.
The Council’s Secretary, Mr Jide Oyekunle, who anchored the press briefing, reiterated that the probe’s findings and the resolutions reflect the collective will of the NUJ-FCT Congress and the determination to protect members’ interests.
Just in: Alleged Herdsmen Armed With AK-47 Rifles Take Over Communities In Benue State
SEYI Tinubu Speaks On Alleged Abduction, Brutalization Of NANS President Atiku Abubakar Isah
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