Vice President Kashim Shettima has charged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to ensure a smooth and spiritually rewarding experience for Nigerian pilgrims embarking on the 2025 Hajj.

Shettima gave the directive on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, after receiving a briefing from the board and management of NAHCON on preparations for the annual pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, who disclosed this in a statement said the Vice President while stating the importance of the Hajj as a significant religious obligation for Muslims, said all hands must be on deck to ensure the success of the hajj exercise.

“All necessary measures must be taken to guarantee the success of the 2025 Hajj. We owe it to all Nigerians and our pilgrims to ensure a smooth and spiritually fulfilling experience,” the Vice President said.

Briefing journalists after the meeting with the Vice President, the Commissioner in charge of Operations, Inspectorate and Licensing at NAHCON, Prince Anofi Elegushi, said the Commission had concluded all logistics to guarantee a hitch-free pilgrimage.

Elegushi said all accommodations in Mecca, Medina, and other locations are intact.

He said: “They are ready to take our pilgrims, we have secured enough bed spaces and paid for adequate feeding for our pilgrims. We have picked May 9 for our first flight to Saudi Arabia through Medina. We intend to finish the airlift to Saudi Arabia by May 24 and start the return by 13th of June to end 2nd of July.”

“All hands are on deck, and I can assure all Nigerian pilgrims that they are in safe hands. Adequate arrangements have been made for airlift in and out of Saudi Arabia. We have made arrangements for over 40,000 pilgrims, including officials from the states and 13,000 others from the tour operators.”

Also, the Chairman of NAHCON, Professor Saleh Abdullahi Usman, said they briefed the Vice President on the Hajj preparations for this year, 2025, and that the Vice President is very happy with the preparations.