The National Hajj Taskforce says it has settled approximately 60% of a $4.5 million debt inherited from the previous Hajj Board.
The debt includes costs related to accommodation, catering services, and amounts owed to transporting airlines.
In February this year, the Hajj Taskforce accused the previous administration of accumulating a debt amounting to $4.5 million. The liabilities included expenses for accommodation, catering services, and payments owed to the airlines responsible for transporting pilgrims.
Despite disagreements from the former Hajj Board, the task force maintains that about 60% of the debt has now been cleared.
“The Hajj Taskforce has worked extremely hard, and as we speak, the debt has been considerably degraded. They left about $4.5 million. As we speak, principally the biggest amount of it lies with the airlines. There is an airline called Flynas in Saudi Arabia, which is where the preponderance of the debt is.
“I can tell you that we have considerably reduced that debt,” stated Alhaji Bashir Alhassan Fuseini, Head of Corporate Affairs of the Hajj Task Force
As preparations intensify for this year’s pilgrimage, the task force has warned against the use of tourist visas, cautioning that individuals caught using them will face arrest.
“As we speak, there are many pilgrims who have been arrested by the Saudi authorities, and they are languishing in jails. They can’t even come out to enjoy the basic freedom of even going to worship in the grand mosque. They go for a tourist visa, a tourist visa does not entitle you to do Hajj,” he said.
The committee also expressed satisfaction with the high participation rate for this year’s Hajj, attributing the positive turnout to the government’s decision to reduce the pilgrimage fee.
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