The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has paid the shortfall in the Basic Travel Allowance of the state Muslim pilgrims.
The shortfall was as a result of the unexpected changes in the foreign exchange rates.
Abiodun paid the BTA differential of N119,560,712.70 for all the 934 state pilgrims for the 2024 Hajj.
While the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria used N1,252.01 per dollar to calculate hajj fare (BTA inclusive) to give 500 USD as BTA to each pilgrim, the CBN released BTA at N1,530.86 per dollar, which gave each pilgrim 415USD instead of 500USD earlier proposed.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Lekan Adeniran, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
Abiodun implored the pilgrims to be patriotic and pray for the state in particular and Nigeria at large, adding that the courage and sagacity exhibited by President Bola Tinubu in the quest to change the ugly narrative of the past require robust spiritual support from all Nigerians.
“As you are going on this special and highly essential spiritual exercise in the holy land, you are expected to pray for the sustainability of this tempo of development and transformation embarked upon by our administration in Ogun State.
“In the same vein, our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs your supplications and fervent prayer to continue with his courageous and selfless move towards changing the ugly past for the survival of our nation”, Abiodun averred.
To this end, the Consultant to the governor on Islamic Affairs, Sheik Iskeel Lawal Sugar, thanked the governor for the timely intervention and prayed for the continuous success of the administration.
This is coming two days after the first and second batches of 845 pilgrims from the state led by officials of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board arrived in Medina, Saudi Arabia, to perform this year’s holy pilgrimage.
The first batch of the pilgrims landed at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Airport on Sunday at about 11.15 am while the second batch touched down on Monday via Flynas Airline.
