The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria on Wednesday met with the Saudi Arabian advance team ahead of the official visit of the hajj minister, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabbiah, scheduled for February 3.

The commission raised concerns about slashing hajj slots and other issues.

NAHCON chief Abdullahi Usman said this when the team, led by Ghassan Al-Nuaimi, met with the commission’s staff in preparation for the official visit of Al-Rabbiah.

Mr Usman said the commission raised issues such as pilgrims’ biometric data, visa issuance, and 50/50 per cent ownership of national air carriers.

He said that issues such as slashing Hajj slots and other challenges that needed to be addressed by the Saudi Arabian hajj ministry and the umrah authorities were also raised.

According to him, these demands are geared towards the successful participation and execution of the 2026 hajj.

The commissioner for operations, Anofiu Elegushi, disclosed that the commission had already allocated hajj slots to the state Muslims’ pilgrims’ welfare boards and tour operators.

Mr Elegushi said the slots were allocated based on the 66,950 slots reserved for Nigeria during the 2025 hajj operations. According to him, Nigeria used to enjoy 95,000 slots. Suddenly, at the beginning of this hajj operation, it was reduced to 66,950.

“The reason is the number we actualised for 2025. Suddenly, we started working on that 66,950. We have distributed all the slots to every state and also to the tour operators.

“But suddenly, the figure was slashed to 50,000 without any reason, and that has thrown us into a serious problem. A lot of funds have been committed based on the 66,950. So, now that is what we are battling.

“We are reaching through the ministry of foreign affairs, and I think we are still going on pressurising them to release the slots for us,” the NAHCON commissioner said.

He added, “We still have like 10 days to close everything. So, if they grant us the additional slots, definitely within a few days, we will finalise it.”

Responding, Mr Al-Nuaimi said that the Saudi authorities remained committed to ensuring pilgrims’ safety and making hajj affordable to Nigerian pilgrims.

(NAN)