By DEJI ABDULWAHAB

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Wednesday met with the Saudi Arabian Advance Team ahead of the official visit of the Honourable Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabbiah, scheduled for Feb. 3.

The commission raised issues of slashing Hajj slots and other challenges facing the 2026 Hajj operations.

The Chairman/CEO of NAHCON, Prof. Abdullahi Usman Saleh, said this when the team, led by Prof. Ghassan Al-Nuaimi, met with the Commission’s staff in preparation for the official visit of Al-Rabbiah.

Saleh said the commission raised issues such as biometric data of pilgrims, visa issuance, 50/50 per cent National air carriers.

He said that issues of slashing Hajj slots and other challenges which needed to be addressed by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah were also raised.

According to him, these demands are geared towards the successful participation and execution of the 2026 Hajj.

The Commissioner for Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, disclosed that the commission had already allocated Hajj slots to the state Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Boards and tour operators.

Elegushi said that the slots were allocated based on the 66,950 slots allocated to Nigeria during 2025 Hajj operations.

According to him, Nigeria used to enjoy 95,000 slots. Suddenly, at the beginning of this Hajj operation, it was reduced to 66,950.

“The reason being the number we actualised for 2025. Suddenly, we started working on that 66,950. We have distributed all the slots to every state and also the tour operators.

“But suddenly, the figure was slashed to 50,000 without any reason, and that has thrown us into a serious problem.

“A lot of funds have been committed based on the 66,950. So, now that is what we are battling.

“We are reaching through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and I think we are still going on pressurising them to release the slots for us,” the NAHCON commissioner said.

He said that there was still a window.

“We still have like 10 days to close everything. So, if they grant us the additional slots, definitely within a few days, we will finalise it,” he said.

Responding, Al-Nuaimi said that the Saudi Authorities remained committed to ensuring pilgrims’ safety and making Hajj cost affordable to Nigerian pilgrims.

The issues discussed during the meeting included the need for official endorsement of Hajj Institute of Nigeria to collaborate with relevant Saudi Arabian institutions on training of pilgrims.

Others were dollars removal to reduce Hajj costs, as well as respect for international agreements. (NAN)