The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has secured an additional 10,000 pilgrimage slots from Saudi Arabia for the 2027 Hajj, raising Nigeria’s total allocation from 50,000 to 60,000.
The Commission, in a statement by the Head of its Information and Publications Division, Shafii Mohammed, said the additional slots comprise 7,500 allocated to state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards, Agencies and Commissions, while 2,500 slots were allocated to seven lead tour operator companies.
NAHCON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and the Saudi Arabian authorities for the additional allocation.
He said the increase reflects the cordial relationship between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia and assured that the additional slots would be administered transparently and in line with relevant Nigerian and Saudi Arabian regulations.
Nigeria was initially allocated 50,000 slots for the 2027 Hajj, comprising 35,000 slots for government-sponsored pilgrims and 15,000 for licensed tour operators.
NAHCON had also announced that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah required the biometric data of all intending Nigerian pilgrims to be uploaded to the designated Nusuk-Masar platform by September 26.
