Umrah: NAHCON begins probe of tour operators’ claims
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has constituted a team to verify the activities and operations of licensed tour operators, particularly their services to intending Umrah pilgrims in Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement from the commission’s Public Relations Executive Malam Uba Mana, the verification exercise was necessitated by the need to guard against incidences in the past, where tour operators advertised services such as accommodation close to the Holy Mosque in Makkah and Madinah but never fulfilled them to their clients.
The statement said in the end the pilgrims discovered that the services they paid for in the package sold to them were non-existent. In some instances, “some of the pilgrims were abandoned immediately they arrive at the Kingdom and never got see, the tour operators throughout their stay in the holy land.”
The committee has been mandated to embark on inspection of services rendered by the tour operators.
The team is also expected to determine whether or not the advertised packages are commensurate with the fees paid for the services.
“On the average, Umrah (lesser hajj) fare costs N450, 000 but some people pay as high as N1, 000, 000 because there are some hotels that are very close to the holy Mosque which some pilgrims would like to stay which may make the fare higher than that of other pilgrims,” he said.
Meanwhile, Daily Trust learnt that as at Friday, some tour operators in Abuja were still processing entry visas for those who wished to perform Umrah during this Ramadan.
Some of them charged as high as $4,000 while some charged $3, 000 for entry visa because issuance of Umrah visa closed two weeks ago.
The ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria was said to be outside the country when our reporter contacted the embassy for comment.