The Jigawa Pilgrims Welfare Board has commenced the refund of N44.04 million to more than 900 pilgrims who participated in the 2026 Hajj.
The Director-General of the board, Alhaji Ahmed Labbo, disclosed this in an interaction with newsmen in Dutse on Friday.
Labbo said the refund followed a discount secured through direct negotiations between the board and the company responsible for animal sacrifice during the pilgrimage.
He said the negotiations resulted in saving N44, 039,329, which the board had commenced disbursing to pilgrims, through their various bank accounts.
According to him, each pilgrim who paid for the animal sacrifice through the board will receive more than N53, 853 as refund.
The DG also disclosed that the board had returned N27.365 million unused funds from the 2026 Hajj operation to the state government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).
He said the total amount refunded to pilgrims and returned to the state government stood at N71, 404,329.
He attributed the success of the 2026 Hajj operations to the support and commitment of Gov. Umar Namadi to the welfare of the state’s pilgrims.
He prayed for continued divine guidance for the governor in steering the affairs of the state.
Meanwhile, the board’s Director of Operations, Alhaji Muhammad Garba, urged prospective 2027 Hajj pilgrims, to pay an initial deposit of N7.5 million before the Sept. 25, 2026 deadline.
Garba said the deadline was set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and Saudi authorities for payment and registration of intending pilgrims.
Some pilgrims from Dutse, Kiyawa, Jahun, Kafin Hausa and Birnin Kudu that spoke with NAN, confirmed receiving refund alerts and commended the board for the initiative.
The pilgrims also commended the state government and the board for providing adequate feeding, accommodation and medical services during the pilgrimage.
One of them, Alhaji Usman Muhammad said, he was particularly impressed by the new accommodation allocation system.
He explained that the system enabled pilgrims to know their accommodation arrangements from Dutse before arriving in Makkah.
Also, Mrs Aisha Abdulkadir, said the arrangement helped to reduce challenges associated with accommodation allocation during previous Hajj operations.
She described the refund and remittance of unused funds to the state treasury, as evidence of transparency and prudent management of public funds.
