The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has raised the alarm over a drastic reduction in camp slots for Nigerian pilgrims by Saudi authorities ahead of the 2026 Hajj exercise, warning that the cut could significantly limit participation next year.
The commission disclosed in a statement on Thursday titled “NAHCON, States Discuss Hajj Costing and Other Critical Issues; Ministry Briefs NAHCON on Tour Operators.”
The statement, signed by NAHCON Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, Fatima Usara, noted that only 66,910 accommodation slots had been approved on Saudi Arabia’s NUSUK Masar portal, despite Nigeria’s official allocation of 95,000.
According to NAHCON, “the Mashair space reserved for Nigeria’s pilgrims on the NUSUK Masar portal is actually 66,910 slots for the 2026 Hajj. The implication of this is that while 95,000 slots were allocated to Nigeria, the actual number that can participate in the 2026 Hajj is 51,513 for States and all other officials, while 15,397 will go to licensed tour operators.”
The reduction, the commission explained, was imposed as a penalty by Saudi authorities following Nigeria’s underutilisation of its quota during the 2025 pilgrimage.
In February 2025, NAHCON announced that it secured 52,544 slots for state pilgrims, but only 41,218 were airlifted under the government quota. Another 18,000 pilgrims travelled through private tour operators, bringing the total number of participants to 59,128 — leaving 35,872 unutilised slots from the 95,000 made available by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
During a meeting between NAHCON and officials of State Pilgrims Welfare Boards on Thursday, the Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, said that allocations for 2026 would be reviewed based on each state’s performance during the previous exercise.
“Earlier allocations will be reversed based on each state’s utilisation during the 2025 Hajj,” Elegushi warned, adding that states that failed to fill their quotas last year would be affected most by the new adjustment.
The Commission also revealed that it held a virtual meeting with officials of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, during which it was directed to allocate a minimum of 2,000 slots to each group of tour operators and ensure their registration on the NUSUK platform.
In his remarks, NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Usman, urged all stakeholders to work collaboratively to avert a crisis in the buildup to the 2026 pilgrimage.
“Unity in this assignment is crucial if Hajj 2026 must succeed,” Usman said, while appealing to state executive secretaries to take medical screening seriously, due to the importance Saudi Arabia attaches to it.”
Addressing concerns over the rising cost of Hajj caused by foreign exchange volatility, Usman disclosed that efforts were ongoing to negotiate reductions in certain cost components, including cargo handling charges, to ease the financial burden on intending pilgrims.
However, he cautioned that service providers’ rates “will not be arbitrarily reduced,” as such action could compromise the quality of services offered to pilgrims.
A board member representing the Central Bank of Nigeria at NAHCON, Dr Adetona Adedeji, also pledged to engage the CBN on reducing the 2% charge currently imposed on pilgrims’ transactions.
The meeting further resolved that funds should be remitted to the CBN regularly as they are received from the states to benefit from favourable exchange rates.
NAHCON reminded state officials of the December 21 deadline for remittances, urging them to set earlier internal deadlines to ensure full payments before the cutoff date. It also announced plans for a nationwide sensitisation campaign to highlight the urgency of meeting the deadline.
The Commission confirmed that the 2026 Hajj would adopt international aviation luggage standards, allowing each pilgrim two 23kg checked-in bags and one hand luggage.
It further reiterated Saudi Arabia’s strict medical regulations, warning that individuals suffering from organ failure, neurological or psychiatric disorders, dementia, pregnancy, active cancer under chemotherapy, tuberculosis, or other communicable diseases would not be granted entry into the Kingdom.
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