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The Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a faith-based Civil Society Organization (CSO) that reports on and promotes practical Hajj policies, has urged the States’ Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards (SMPWBs) to hold a special education program for prospective pilgrims on Saudi Arabian currency denominations.

In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its national coordinator, the group, Ibrahim Muhammad, said: “Now that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has approved the payment of 2025 Hajj BTA via cash payment in US dollars, we call on States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards, agencies and Commission to organize a special enlightenment program to educate Nigerian pilgrims on currency denominations, especially, on the exchange rates between US dollars and Saudi Riyals.”

It added: “Most of the Nigerian pilgrims are not conversant with foreign currencies, especially US dollars and Saudi Riyals, and can hardly identify the value of each denomination unless they are guided during hajj, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims engage in financial transactions.

“Given the above, Nigerian pilgrims should also be shown the Saudi Riyals currency denomination so that they can be able to identify such whenever they need to change US dollars to Saudi Riyals or make a purchase using either of the two currency denominations.

“This call is important due to past experiences where some dubious Saudi-based individuals shortchanged our dear pilgrims whenever they make purchases or try to convert their BTA to US dollars.”

It warned that Nigerian women pilgrims are more likely to be taken advantage of if they use unlicensed dentistry facilities to get their teeth fixed as soon as they get to Madinah.

In order to reduce the possibility of financial losses for planned pilgrims, the organization also begged airlines to use the onboard educational system to teach pilgrims about the same topic as part of their corporate social responsibility.

“Understanding denomination in today’s currency circulation is crucial as it serves as the foundation of all monetary transactions worldwide. It will enable pilgrims to comprehend the value of their BTA.

“According to the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia, SAMA, the most-exchanged foreign currencies during Hajj are the US dollar, the euro, the Singapore dollar, the Indian rupee, the Indonesian rupiah, the Emirati dirham and the Malaysian ringgi,” IHR stated.

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