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NAHCON Allegedly Owes Tour Operators N15bn
The Affiliation for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) says the Nationwide Hajj Fee of Nigeria (NAHCON) owes its members over N15 billion.
Its President, Abdullateef Ekundayo, made this recognized in a press release on Saturday in Abuja.
In keeping with him, it’s the follow of the Saudi Authorities after every Hajj operation to refund cash to international locations on three grounds.
They embody providers paid by pilgrims however not rendered, providers paid for however poorly rendered to the agreed customary and tent safety deposits.
”Our members are being owed all these classes of cash from 2022 hajj to this point by the fee.
”They confirmed in our assembly with them that they’ve acquired the sum of 20 million Saudi Riyals of such refund from the Saudi authority since December 2023,” he stated.
In keeping with Ekundayo, the fee is but to formally notify them of the cash, “discuss much less of agreeing on the modalities of the refund’s fee.”
He stated: ”Even these 20 million Saudi Riyals, if not for the investigation EFCC carried out on the fee, we wouldn’t have recognized that it has been paid since December 2023.
”We solely received to know by way of media experiences, earlier than they now confirmed to us at our final assembly.
”What stopped them from calling the tour operators since December 2023 to come back ahead to assert their cash? They saved quiet.”
He stated that in the course of the not too long ago concluded 2024 Hajj operation, NAHCON acquired and warehoused over N2.7 billion as warning deposits from tour operators.
Ekudayo stated, ”By our settlement with the fee, the funds have been to be launched two weeks after the conclusion of the Hajj.
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”NAHCON has refused to refund any of the businesses that utilized for it, as an alternative they’re asking for extra money as a rise to the 2023 Hajj deposit.
”From the yr 2004 to this point, the fee has attested to have held our members’ funds by way of a number of engagements instance unused visa, extra funds and Umrah deposits.”
He expressed concern that the fee had not proven any signal of refunding such funds.
Ekundayo added, ”In actual fact, our settlement with the fee to publish the checklist of the businesses below this class since 2023 has not been met.
”It’s price noting that a lot of our members have handed on ready for these refunds.”
The president added that for a few years, some members of the affiliation have had hundreds of thousands of Saudi Riyals’ balances of their Saudi accounts (IBAN), which they’ll’t entry.
”It’s price noting that our members obtain nothing as revenue from the quantity we deposit yearly,” he stated.
The Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) experiences that NAHCON has assured that it could handle reliable issues raised by the affiliation.
The fee’s Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Mrs Fatima Usara, stated this in a press release on Friday in Abuja.
”Whereas we acknowledge the problems raised concerning collected refunds, it is very important make clear that NAHCON has been in steady communication with AHOUN on this matter.
“The delay in resolving sure monetary points stemmed from the complexities of Hajj operations, which contain a number of stakeholders, each domestically and internationally, together with Saudi authorities.
”NAHCON needs to reassure AHOUN and the general public that it has no intention of downplaying or neglecting the problem of refunds,” she stated.
(NAN)
