Esther Salifu
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has appealed to the Federal Government to reduce the 2025 Hajj fare, citing the economic challenges faced by citizens. This call was made during an event organized by the State Pilgrims Welfare Board to refund money to pilgrims affected by a power outage during the 2023 Hajj exercise.
Yusuf commended the Saudi Arabian Government for their refund gesture and promised to send a formal thank-you note to the Saudi Kingdom. He also praised the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria for their transparency and timely refund, as well as the State Pilgrims Welfare Board for their successful organization of the 2024 Hajj.
The governor encouraged the board to sustain their achievements, adding that preparations for the 2025 Hajj have already commenced. Aminu Abdulsalam, the state’s Deputy Governor, thanked Yusuf for his unwavering support of the pilgrims’ board. Meanwhile, Laminu Danbaffa, the Director-General of the board, revealed that a refund totaling N375 million had been disbursed to pilgrims for the 2023 Hajj exercise.
It was disclosed that Governor Yusuf has been proactive in managing the state’s finances, recently proposing a budget of N549 billion for the 2025 fiscal year .
This budget aims to allocate 57% for capital expenditure and 43% for recurrent expenditure.
