The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has inaugurated a committee tasked with screening and verifying the documents of Saudi based service providers that applied to offer accommodation and catering services to Nigerian pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj operations.

Saudi Arabian government mandated that the accommodation and catering services must be provided by Saudi based companies.

A statement by Abdul-basit Abba, Yusuf Muhammad Kulloma, Information and Publications Division, NAHCON, said the ceremony, which took place at NAHCON?s headquarters in

Abuja on December 2nd, 2024, was presided over by the NAHCON Chairman/CEO, Professor Abdullahi Saleh.

The committee comprises experts from State Pilgrims Welfare Boards, Legal and Technical staff of NAHCON.

Prof. Abubakar Abubakar Yagawal, Commissioner Planning Research Statistics Information and Library Services (PRSILS) is Chairman of the Committee.

In his welcome address, Prof Yagawal urged the newly inaugurated committee members to ensure that only reputable and reliable service providers are selected to meet the accommodation and catering needs of Nigerian pilgrims during the Hajj pilgrimage.

The exercise Is part of NAHCON?s traditional role in Hajj preparations.

Term of Reference for committee are:

a. Obtain the final list of eligible applicants as harvested by the ICT division;

b. Extract and filter eligible applicants from the portal;

c. Scrutinize the documents and prospects of the service providers that applied for the catering and pilgrim?s accommodation in Makkah and Madina for the 2025 Hajj operation.

d. . Produce the list of accredited service providers.

e. Make other recommendations that will assist the commission in making an informed decision.

Speaking during the inauguration, the NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh emphasized on the importance of the exercise, that the committee plays a critical role in ensuring the welfare and comfort of Nigerian pilgrims during the Hajj operations.

By selecting only the best and most compliant service providers, the Commission is safeguarding the integrity of the Hajj operations and upholding the trust placed in us by the pilgrims.

He also charged the committee to fear Allah (SWT), to uphold transparency, accountability, and diligence throughout the process to help NAHCON provide good services to the Pilgrims.

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