By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has held a post-Hajj strategic meeting with Chairmen and Executive Secretaries of State Pilgrims? Welfare Boards to review the 2025 Hajj operations and chart an early course for the successful planning of the 2026 pilgrimage.

The meeting which took place at the NAHCON Headquarters in Abuja, brought together key stakeholders in Hajj administration across the country for an honest appraisal of the just-concluded exercise.

This was contained in a statement by Fatima Sanda Usara, Assistant Director, Information and Publication NAHCON Thursday August 7th, 2025.

In his opening remarks, NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support to Nigerian pilgrims and the Commission. He particularly lauded the Federal Government?s intervention, which allowed Hajj carriers to accept payment in Naira, shielding pilgrims from the harsh realities of foreign exchange fluctuations.

Professor Usman also commended the government for instructing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend its earlier directive mandating the exclusive use of credit cards for the payment of Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) for pilgrims, a move he said, could have disadvantaged many due to low awareness and technological limitations.

?We are here not to trade blame but to conduct an honest review ? what worked, what didn?t, and what we must improve ahead of 2026,? the NAHCON Chairman urged participants.

During the session, the Commissioner in charge of Planning, Research and Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar Yagawal, led a presentation on the 2026 Hajj calendar, emphasizing the need for early mobilisation. Similarly, Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, opened discussions on logistics and operational matters.

Prince Elegushi proposed the possibility of rolling over contracts with the four airline operators engaged during the 2025 Hajj. He argued that doing so would help Nigeria secure airlift slots early in line with the Saudi Hajj calendar and avoid bureaucratic delays.

Following deliberations, Professor Usman announced a tentative deposit of ?8.5 million as the provisional fare for the 2026 Hajj, pending final negotiations on all service components. He also confirmed that Nigeria has retained its 95,000-slot quota from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Slot allocations to state boards, he added, would remain unchanged from 2025.

On behalf of the Forum of States? Executive Secretaries, Alhaji Idris Almakura (Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims? Board), appreciated NAHCON for convening the meeting and called for improved communication and faster resolutions of pending issues from the 2025 operations. He was supported by other forum executives, including Deputy Chairman Alhaji Aliyu Faruku Yaro (Kebbi State) and Secretary Mallam Abubakar Salihu (Adamawa State).

The meeting ended with a commitment from all state representatives to continue consultations with their respective stakeholders and provide feedback to the Commission on unresolved matters.

NAHCON Secretary, Dr. Mustapha Ali, closed the meeting by thanking participants for their valuable input and reaffirmed the Commission?s readiness to work with state boards for a smoother Hajj operation in 2026.

? Cross section of Chairmen and Executive Secretaries of State Pilgrims? Welfare Boards at a review meeting of the 2025 Hajj operations

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