Within two Hajj cycles, the number of Nigerian pilgrims has fallen sharply, leaving thousands facing the prospect of postponing a religious obligation they may have spent years preparing for.
For decades, Nigeria had some of the largest contingents in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage.
The story, however, is more complicated than Saudi Arabia’s reduction of the country’s slots.
Nigeria was allocated 95,000 slots for the 2025 Hajj. By May 2025, only about 64,188 pilgrims had registered, while fewer than 60,000 eventually travelled to Saudi Arabia through the government and licensed private tour operators.
In 2026, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) secured spaces for about 52,000 pilgrims, but fewer Nigerians still eventually travelled.
Several factors led to this situation, including late registration and payment by intending pilgrims, difficulties completing payments, delays in remitting funds, and the closure of the Saudi visa portal.
Saudi Arabia subsequently reduced Nigeria’s actual Masha’ir spaces for 2026 to 66,910, but the operational quota fell to 50,000.
NAHCON repeatedly warned pilgrims and state pilgrims’ welfare boards to respect registration and payment deadlines.
Every underutilisation of allocations subsequently became an issue in Nigeria’s Hajj planning, with Saudi authorities reducing the number of Mashair spaces for the following cycle.
Some Nigerians who registered and paid for the 2025 Hajj could not travel, particularly those affected by the closure of the Saudi visa portal.
NAHCON said the visa issuance window closed, affecting 2,717 late-registration pilgrims, despite the Commission’s efforts to secure further extensions.
The Commission then began reconciling and refunding affected pilgrims.
By September 2025, NAHCON said it had reconciled refunds involving 19 states that had requested reconciliation.
The experience exposed the importance of completing registration, payment, biometric and visa processes within the deadlines set by both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
With the coming of the new NAHCON Chairman, Isma’il Abba-Yusuf, the Commission made early preparation a priority, consistently urging intending pilgrims to register and pay early while calling on state pilgrims’ welfare boards to intensify enlightenment campaigns.
NAHCON has also stressed the need for pilgrims and state authorities to understand and comply with new Saudi regulations, particularly the increasingly technology-driven Hajj process.
The emphasis on early registration and compliance was evident ahead of the 2027 Hajj.
Nigeria subsequently secured an additional 10,000 slots, raising its allocation from 50,000 to 60,000 pilgrims.
The development follows sustained discussions between NAHCON and Saudi authorities and provides more space for Nigerian pilgrims, while also placing greater responsibility on the Commission and state authorities to ensure the available slots are fully utilised.
The contrast with the 2024 Hajj administration under Jalal Arabi is significant.
Under Mr Arabi, NAHCON completed visa processing and other preparations ahead of the airlift and moved Nigerian pilgrims efficiently through the Hajj operation.
But the administration ended amid an EFCC investigation into alleged mismanagement of the N90 billion 2024 Hajj intervention fund provided by the federal government.
Mr Arabi was subsequently removed by President Bola Tinubu.
Abdullahi Usman, a professor, succeeded him, but his tenure was marked by internal disagreements and controversies.
He resigned in February 2026 amid the crisis.
Ismail Yusuf, a former diplomat, subsequently took over, inheriting a commission facing not only internal restructuring but also a radically changing Saudi Hajj management system.
When PREMIUM TIMES spoke to some Nigerians, the concerns were shared across the country
Hassan Mohammed, who lives in Kaduna, said Nigeria should have done more to ensure that its traditional allocation was fully utilised.
“The painful part is that we had the opportunity to use the seats. We should not have allowed thousands of allocations to go unused,” he said.
Almustapha Ahmed, a Sokoto resident, said the reduction would particularly affect families that had spent years preparing financially for Hajj.
