Makkah: The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has attributed the successes recorded in the 2025 Hajj operation to teamwork, hard work and dedication by all stakeholders.
The Chairman of NAHCON, Prof. Abdullahi Usman, said this at the Post-Arafat Stakeholders’ meeting in Makkah. Usman thanked the stakeholders for their tireless efforts towards a successful 2025 Hajj operation.
“We thank you all for being part of the 2025 Hajj Operation. We recorded so many successes this year, and these were possible because of your teamwork, hard work and dedication.
“I thank you for your tireless work to ensure the success of this year’s Hajj. I have no words to express my deep appreciation and gratitude for your efforts in this regard; I only pray Almighty Allah to reward you abundantly,” he said.
The NAHCON boss, who said the return airlift of pilgrims would begin on June 13, expressed hope that it would be completed within three weeks.
In his remarks, Mr Aliyu Abdulrasaq, NAHCON Commissioner of Policy, Personnel, and Finance, stressed the need for stakeholders to plan the 2026 Hajj to mitigate the challenges of visas, accommodation, and other logistics.
“I want to inform the public that preparations for Hajj 2026 have begun. The Saudi Authority has warned that we must follow the activities’ timeline.
“The idea of not getting a visa, not preparing, not getting accommodation, and all other logistics are not going to be entertained in the 2026 Hajj Operation,” Abdulrasaq said.
The NAHCON commissioner emphasised the need to open some accounts to mitigate the challenges of business travel accounts (BTA) and cash and card issues.
“We should look at the accommodation issue properly and carefully. We can renegotiate before going back to Nigeria,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the accommodation would be comfortable and meet all the standards if all necessary documents were well prepared for the 2026 Hajj operation.
According to him, there is no point in coming for a negotiation. We have to do that now before we leave this country.
Prof. Abdulrasak Alaro, while delivering his report on behalf of the NAHCON Ulama Team, lauded the smooth 2025 Hajj operations.
According to Alaro, this year’s Hajj exercise went smoothly for the national ulama.
“We engaged in so many activities, all tailored towards achieving the slogan of this year’s Hajj, which is Hajj and positive change.”
He said the Ulama team engaged pilgrims in awareness creation and personal guidance.
“There was intensive awareness creation and guidance when they were approached. Also, I am happy to inform all of us gathered that National Weather Mountain introduced some innovative approaches in this chapter of our manifesto.
“For the first time, we had four flags in our local languages, and Nigerian pilgrims could just click their phones and seek guidance on any area of the pilgrimage or Hajj rights. A total of 10 maps were distributed to scholars who are multi-faceted and competent to give guidance on areas of Hajj practices in Hausa, Igbo, Fulani, Yoruba, Kanuri, and other local languages.
“One of the innovative approaches we also introduced this year was another intensive media activity that accompanied our awareness creation,” he said.
According to him, the National Ulama team produced a two-page magazine that taught pilgrims about every necessary step of their Hajj exercise.
“In addition to that, we also produce daily messages from Nigerian scholars. This feature saw some of our notable scholars in Nigeria disseminate inspiring and life-transforming messages to pilgrims daily,” he explained.
