…warns against abrupt overhaul

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has pushed back against the immediate implementation of Saudi Arabia’s proposed private sector-driven Hajj model, warning that an abrupt transition could disrupt Nigeria’s well-established pilgrimage administration and make the exercise less accessible to ordinary pilgrims.

Chairman of the Commission, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, disclosed this on Friday while speaking with State House correspondents after a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said although the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has formally communicated its decision to migrate participating countries to a business-to-business (B2B) operational framework, Nigeria has proposed that the transition be carried out in phases to safeguard the country’s Hajj system.

Under the proposed arrangement, about 98 per cent of Nigeria’s traditional public Hajj quota would move from the existing government-managed structure to private tour operators.

Yusuf, however, argued that such a sweeping change cannot be implemented overnight because Nigeria’s Hajj operations have, for decades, been administered through NAHCON in collaboration with State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards.

According to him, an immediate migration to the new framework poses significant operational and economic challenges and could undermine the institutional structures that have sustained the country’s Hajj administration over the years.

He warned that the proposed shift could weaken the statutory role of the State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, disrupt existing government-to-government arrangements with Saudi authorities, and adversely affect the affordability, accessibility and orderly management of Hajj for millions of Nigerian Muslims.

The NAHCON chairman stressed that while Nigeria supports Saudi Arabia’s ongoing reforms aimed at modernising Hajj operations through digital innovation and greater private sector participation, the transition should be gradual and founded on extensive consultation with affected countries.

“We have received the official policy communication from the Saudi authorities,” Yusuf said, adding that Nigeria’s position is that the reform should be implemented through a carefully managed, phased transition to minimise disruptions and protect the interests of Nigerian pilgrims.

He reiterated NAHCON’s commitment to working closely with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to ensure that any reforms strengthen, rather than destabilise, Nigeria’s Hajj management framework.

The Commission maintained that a phased implementation would preserve the gains of the existing system while allowing sufficient time for stakeholders to adapt to the new business model without compromising service delivery or the welfare of intending pilgrims.