Senate Asks FG To Make Dollar Available To Pilgrims At N200 To $1

The Senate has asked the Federal government to
as a matter of urgency, make dollar available to
intending pilgrims at N200. The senate made
the call after it received the report on “Extortion
of Pilgrims By National Hajj Commission” by its
committee on foreign affairs presented by
Monsurat Sunmonu yesterday. The report in
part reads
“The Government should as matter of urgency
extend concession on the Naira – Dollar
exchange to NAHCON and NCPC, once in every
year, for the pilgrimages to the two Holy
Lands. Therefore, the committee strongly
recommends the concession of N200 to $1 for
2017 Hajj to bring down cost to the bearable
level".
Arguing in support of the report, one of the
senators, Adamu Aliero, said the Central Bank of
Nigeria has over time being making dollar
available to some unnamed businesses at N200
per dollar and he sees no reason why they
cannot make the dollar available to intending
pilgrims at the same rate.
Speaking on the report, Senate President, Bukola
Saraki, said pilgrims also deserve the N200 per
dollar rate that some businesses are supposedly
given.
“You said CBN has been giving some
businesses dollar at N200? If some businesses
are getting that concession, pilgrims also
deserve it,”Saraki said
The dollar currently exchanges for N365 in the
black market and about 315 naira in the
interbank.