About 18,906 pilgrims have been airlifted to Saudi Arabia for the 2024/1445 Holy Pilgrimage despite the country’s economic hardship according to reports from National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
NAHCON made this known in its official X handle on Saturday.
“Today (Saturday), Air Peace flight APK7920 departed from Lagos to Madinah at 11:45hrs, carrying 298 pilgrims from Edo State. The group consists of 162 males and 136 females.
It would be recalled that the Vice President Kasim Shettima confirmed that the federal government paid N90 billion in subsidies for 2024 hajj.
In April, Nigeria’s headline and food inflation surged to 33.69 per cent and 40.53 per cent, respectively. This has impacted the cost of living in the country, as many Nigerians struggle to feed themselves.
The National Bureau of Statistics multidimensional poverty index released in November 2022 said 41.01 per cent of Nigerians are poor.
The Federal Government has been under fire for sponsoring pilgrims for Hajj despite economic crisis in the country.