When in January this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced the introduction of a new payment method for Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) for Nigerians embarking on the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, it drew criticisms fiom among stakeholders in the Hajj industry.
The payment system, where each pilgrim will be issued an ATM card for withdrawals and transactions during the pilgrimage, made it mandatory for all intending pilgrims to open a BTA-linked bank account, ensuring a more secure and efficient financial process.
According to the Executive Secretary of Gombe State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Sa’adu Hassan, the CBN had since 2024 proposed the issuance of ATM cards to Hajj Pilgrims for the payment of their BTA, but the programme was delayed due to some issues, especially lack of awareness and short notice, as well as other issues surrounding the new method of BTA payment raised by the officials.
Indeed, before the 2024 Hajj airlift, the apex bank had informed the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), states and the Armed Forces that the payment of the year’s Hajj BTA, that only $200 would be paid in cash while $300 would be paid via cards. It was also reported that the CBN advised Nigerian Hajj authorities to either accept the card payment or seek a dollar equivalent at the parallel market.
Many, including the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a faith-based registered Civil Society Organization (CSO), urged the CBN to exclude 2025 intending pilgrims from the new policy of payment of BTA via ATM cards. IHR national coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, argued that the policy would create unprecedented hardship and confusion in the Hajj ecosystem in Nigeria.
“The majority of Nigerian pilgrims are from rural areas and most of them are not versatile in the use of e-payment systems,” the IHR said, adding that there are less than 10 ATM machines within Misfala and Shara’ Mansur areas in Makkah – a place where 90 percent of Nigerian pilgrims are accommodated during Hajj.
In an opinion piece titled “BTA on card: Is CBN sabotaging Hajj pilgrimage or disconnected from reality?”, one Abdullahi Bayero decided to turn a blind eye to the issues and attempted to paint the apex bank black before Nigerian Muslims for whom the Hajj is a spiritual obligation.
It was therefore heartening to read in the news that the CBN has approved the request by the 2025 Hajj intending pilgrims to be granted cash transactions for the holy pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The apex bank, with this singular action, has shown that it is a listening institution.
We also thank Vice President Kashim Shettima for appealing to President Bola Tinubu on behalf of the pilgrims through the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
- Lawal Nasir is based in Abuja
