The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has unveiled a reform agenda for the 2027 Hajj, pledging to prioritise pilgrims’ welfare, strengthen accountability and accelerate the digitalisation of Hajj operations to improve service delivery.
The commitment was made on Wednesday at the Stakeholders’ Summit on the 2026 Hajj Review and NAHCON Reform Agenda in Abuja.
The summit, themed “Repositioning Nigeria’s Hajj Industry as a Model of Service Excellence,” brought together government officials, traditional rulers, Islamic scholars, state pilgrims’ welfare boards and private tour operators to review the 2026 pilgrimage and outline priorities for the 2027 Hajj.
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Speaking at the event, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NAHCON, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, said the 2026 Hajj recorded significant improvements in airlift coordination, visa processing, medical services and stakeholder collaboration.
He, however, acknowledged shortcomings in medical screening, catering and accommodation, which affected the experience of some Nigerian pilgrims.
“The 2026 Hajj achieved tremendous milestones like orderly airlift, improved visa processing, better medical services and closer coordination with stakeholders. But we must also confront the failures exposed, from medical screening circumvention to lapses in catering and accommodation,” Yusuf said.
The NAHCON chairman warned that the commission would no longer tolerate poor service delivery from contractors and service providers.
“Let every service provider, both foreign and local, take heed. The era in which contractual failures carried no consequences is over. Pilgrims must receive relief for every poor service rendered. Performance will henceforth determine patronage,” he stated.
Yusuf stressed the need for Nigeria to align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which has fully digitised Hajj administration, saying the country’s pilgrimage operations must embrace technology to remain competitive.
“We must jettison our analogue habits and improvised planning or risk being priced out and pushed to the margins. Nigeria cannot afford to be a spectator to this transformation,” he warned.
He disclosed that preparations for the 2027 Hajj had already begun, noting that Saudi authorities had directed all participating countries to conclude pilgrim registration by September 2026.
“We must plan ahead—not in 2027,” he said.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, represented by the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Muhammad Hameem Nuhu Sanusi, commended NAHCON for its transparency and urged stricter supervision of contractors to improve service delivery.
He described Hajj administration as a sacred trust that requires sincerity, diligence and accountability.
In his keynote address, former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, advocated a comprehensive restructuring of Nigeria’s Hajj administration.
He recommended that NAHCON concentrate on regulation, standard-setting and compliance monitoring, while operational responsibilities should be handled by licensed private tour operators and state pilgrims’ welfare boards.
Participants at the summit unanimously called for greater transparency, stronger regulatory oversight, enhanced professionalism and wider deployment of digital technologies to reposition Nigeria’s Hajj industry as a model of service excellence.
