The Oyo State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has fixed the sum of N2.6million as the initial deposit for the 2023 holy pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Chairman of the Board, Prof. Sayed Malik, made this known at the Hajj Camp, Olodo Ibadan, saying that the amount was fixed pending the announcement of the actual fare by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
Malik said the Board would give priority to the 150 intending pilgrims who were promised slots, but could not perform last year’s Hajj exercise due to the limited seats allocated to the state.
He urged intending pilgrims with the State Pilgrim Welfare’s Board for this year’s exercise to start paying the stated amount into any of the designated Bank Accounts of the Board.
While informing the Board’s members about the critical issues and other important matters relating to the 2023 Hajj Operation discussed during the first Pre-Hajj visit to Saudi Arabia, Malik said NAHCON had allocated 1441 seats to Oyo State for this year’s Hajj exercise.
Recalled that NAHCON along with States’ Chairmen and Secretaries of Muslim Pilgrim’s Welfare Boards across the country recently arrived from Makkah where they embarked on a Pre-Hajj discussion with the Saudi Arabian authority.
The Nation