Saudi Arabia, Nigeria sign MoU, okay 95,000 slots for 2023 Hajj

Ahead of 2023 Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have signed a much-anticipated memorandum of understanding (MoU) for reception and welfare of Nigerian pilgrims.

The pre-Hajj ritual makes room for diplomatic engagement between the host country and Nigeria, with a view to concretising arrangement on pilgrims’ accommodation, transportation, feeding, and related protocol.

The event was held in the early hours of yesterday, at the Super Dome Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In attendance were representatives of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Nigeria’s delegation, led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubair Dada, and Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Zikrullah Kunle Hassan.

Other members of the delegation that witnessed the historic event include NAHCON Executive Commissioners: Nura Hassan Yakassai; Abdullahi Magaji Hardawa and Sheikh Suleman Mommoh.

A statement by Mousa Ubandawaki, NAHCON’s Assistant Director (Information and Publications), disclosed Saudi Arabia’s affirmation of 95,000 slots to Nigeria for this year’s pilgrimage.

The statement reads: “One of the highlight of the document is the confirmation of 95,000 Hajj slot to the country, with 75,000 allocated to the 36 state pilgrims welfare boards/agencies/commissions, including the Federal Capital Territory and Armed Forces, while 20,000 is allocated to private tour operators.

“On the sidelines of the MoU, the delegation met with the Mutawwif for African non-Arab pilgrims, whose chairman, Ahmad Sindi, assured the country of its readiness to make the 2023 Hajj better than those of previous years.”

Sindi disclosed that his agency, in a bid to create more rooms and space for pilgrims, has adopted the use of double-deck beds for some countries this year.

The Saudi government urged participating countries to work assiduously towards achieving a hitch-free 2023 Hajj.