2025 Hajj: CBN Approves Cash BTA for Pilgrims

Aliu Abdulrazaq confirmed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved cash transactions for 2,025 Nigerian intending pilgrims following a direct appeal by Vice-President Kashim Shettima to President Bola Tinubu.

The approval comes amid preparations for the 2025 Hajj, with over 40,000 Nigerian pilgrims expected to travel. Abdulrazaq noted that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) had faced concerns regarding foreign exchange and payment methods, prompting the intervention.

With the CBN’s green light, pilgrims will now be allowed to carry out necessary cash transactions, easing a major hurdle in this year’s pilgrimage arrangements.

He said, “The meeting was prompted by the policy of the Federal Government on the card for Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) for 2025 Hajj operations. We have held a series of meetings before now. The vice-president intervened and invited the Central Bank’s Deputy Governor with a plea.

“Out of the magnanimity of the CBN and appeal made by the vice-president, they dropped the idea of a card for pilgrims in the 2025 Hajj, and they conceded to people having cash instead of a card. This is a landmark achievement for NAHCON.

“If you go to Saudi Arabia, mostly the areas where the pilgrims are going to perform their rituals, there is only one Automated Teller Machine there, and it is always crowded – it poses so much difficulties for pilgrims to purchase whatever they want to purchase.”

He further explained that, “Secondly, 95 per cent of the pilgrims from Nigeria are peasant farmers, and they have difficulties with electronic payments. Even with the cash, some of them have difficulties identifying the currencies. These variables make it important for them to have the cash they are used to.

“From now on, we are even more confident that the Hajj operations will be very seamless for the pilgrims. All arrangements have been in top gear, but the BTA was our fear; today, the fear has now been addressed.”

Dr. Mustapha Muhammad Ali, Secretary of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), emphasized that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s approval for cash transactions is not a concession or subsidy from the Federal Government.

“There is a need for clarification we want to make. It is not a concession or intervention by the Federal Government. It is not a subsidy either. The vice-president intervened because most of the pilgrims make purchases in the streets of Mecca or Medina, and they do not need debit cards to make their purchases. Now it is allowed for them to carry cash. The CBN will provide the cash at the market rate,” he said.

Clarifying the CBN’s involvement, Abba Muhammad Aliyu, Director of Human Resources at the Central Bank and CBN representative on the NAHCON board, stated that the bank approved NAHCON’s request as the welfare of Nigerian pilgrims remains a top priority for the government.

Concerns had been raised that the previously proposed mandatory use of debit cards by the CBN for the 2025 Hajj could disrupt effective planning, operations, and overall performance during the pilgrimage.

Earlier in the year, the CBN introduced a new payment system for the Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) for Nigerians traveling for the Hajj, which required each pilgrim to be issued an ATM card for transactions and cash withdrawals while in Saudi Arabia.

The initiative also mandated that all intending pilgrims open a bank account linked to their BTA.