The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Amb. Ismail Yusuf, says Saudi Arabia has maintained Nigeria’s allocation of 50,000 slots for the 2027 Hajj.
Yusuf disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at a media roundtable on Saudi Arabia’s 2026 Hajj policy reforms and their implications for Nigeria.
He said Nigeria had requested an increase in its allocation due to the high number of Nigerians seeking to perform the pilgrimage, but Saudi authorities rejected the request, citing capacity constraints and the advanced stage of preparations.
“The Saudis had told us that the 50,000 quota they gave us was sacrosanct,” he said.
Yusuf said Saudi Arabia had, however, indicated that Nigeria’s quota could be reviewed the following year based on how effectively the country utilised its current allocation.
“They however promised that next year they will consider adjustment in our quota depending on how we perform this year,” he said.
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He explained that Hajj quotas were predetermined for participating countries based on available accommodation, logistics and other services, making it impossible for countries to exceed their approved allocations.
Under the new arrangement, Nigeria’s 50,000 slots comprise 35,000 for the government-controlled pilgrimage system and 15,000 for tour operators.
“That is what makes our 50,000,” Yusuf said.
He said Nigeria was committed to complying fully with the new Saudi Hajj regulations, describing such compliance as important to maintaining the country’s diplomatic relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Yusuf said NAHCON was also taking steps to protect the welfare, security and interests of Nigerian pilgrims under the new regulatory framework.
He said the commission was promoting state-driven private entities that could operate within the business-to-business model being introduced by Saudi Arabia.
According to him, state Muslim pilgrims’ welfare boards could establish subsidiaries to operate as private companies while maintaining their public welfare responsibilities.
He said the arrangement was designed to align Nigeria’s Hajj operations with the Saudi business-to-business model while keeping pilgrimage services affordable.
On digitalisation, Yusuf said NAHCON had developed a digital blueprint to align the country’s Hajj operations with the Saudi Vision 2030 framework.
“NAHCON has rolled out an aggressive digital blueprint to match the Saudi Vision 2030 standards,” he said.
He said the commission was upgrading its digital infrastructure, equipment and staff capacity while accelerating data processing to meet the Sept. 26 deadline set by Saudi authorities.
Yusuf added that NAHCON had begun nationwide sensitisation of state officials, pilgrims and other stakeholders on the new financial and operational requirements.
He said the exercise was aimed at encouraging early remittances and ensuring that Nigeria did not lose any of its allocated slots by missing Saudi deadlines.
The NAHCON chairman also announced plans to strengthen the regulation of tour operators through stricter licensing requirements and compliance audits.
“NAHCON is forcing private travel businesses to become heavily accountable,” he said, noting that the commission had received complaints from pilgrims over service providers failing to deliver services for which they had been paid.
He said operators that failed to provide agreed services would face sanctions, including blacklisting and refunds for undelivered services.
Yusuf said NAHCON would also strengthen early planning, procurement compliance, staff training, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation as part of efforts to improve Hajj operations.
He assured that the welfare and dignity of Nigerian pilgrims would remain central to the implementation of the reforms.
He further said the new Saudi visa arrangements allowed eligible Umrah and entry-visa holders to combine their pilgrimage with tourism and travel to other parts of the country, including Riyadh, provided they left Saudi Arabia before their visas expired.
