Hajj: How we saved $12.3m on accommodation – NAHCON
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said it has saved over $12.3m through elimination of middle men in the process of renting accommodation for pilgrims in Madinah.
NAHCON chairman Abdullahi Mukthar Muhammad said this yesterday when he led the management team on a visit to the Corporate Headquarters of Media Trust Limited in Abuja.
He said the savings were achieved by eliminating the agents and other middlemen associated with accommodation in Madinah, adding that the commission directly dealt with the landlords.
He said Nigerian pilgrims will have the best accommodation in Madinah for this year’s hajj due to the proximity, facilities and moderate prices of the accommodations.
He said the commission was able to achieve the feat due to the ongoing reforms and urged the media to assist in making it succeed.
Muhammad said there would no longer be uniform hajj fare saying fares will be determined by the quality of service provided by each state, including consideration on location and quality of accommodation provided to the pilgrims in Makkah by the states pilgrims’ welfare boards to engender competitiveness.
He added that the reform also led to securing reduced rate on accommodations which were at flat rates of SR4000 even when the facilities and proximities were not of the same values thus reducing the prices by as much as 50 percent.
On petitions against the commission at the House of Representatives, the chairman of NAHCON urged lawmakers to be thorough and fair adding that if the commission was not found wanting, the petitioners should be made to face the Evidence Act and other relevant provisions of the law to serve as deterrent.