The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has warned that the cost of performing Hajj for Nigerian pilgrims could rise over the next three years as Saudi Arabia introduces major reforms to the organisation and administration of the pilgrimage.
NAHCON Chairman, Ambassador Ismail Yusuf, disclosed this on Monday at the Commission’s media roundtable on the 2026 Hajj policy reforms in Abuja.
Yusuf said Saudi Arabia plans to transition Hajj operations from government boards to private companies as part of the reforms.
He also said the Saudi authorities plan to discontinue the Grade D package, which has helped make the pilgrimage more affordable for many Nigerian pilgrims.
“If you understand the demography of pilgrims in Nigeria, you know that 80 to 90% of pilgrims from Nigeria are poor people who, out of commitment to their religion, save over time to be able to perform the sacred duty. So the majority of this class falls within the grade D package,” Yusuf said.
He said the cancellation of the package could have significant implications for Nigerian pilgrims who depend on the lower-cost option.
“Moving forward, the Saudi government is cancelling the grade D package because they believe that anybody who comes to perform Hajj should have the best experience,” he said.
Under the new system, Saudi Arabia also plans to introduce professional training and certification requirements for Hajj administrators.
Yusuf said administrators would undergo specialised training covering logistics, medical services, disaster management and crowd control.
“They are thinking about phased workforce training, so that anybody who is a Hajj administrator should also be professional,” he said.
“No room for ad-hoc people handling Hajj administration anymore. There are going to be specialised training on logistics, on medical services, disaster management, and crowd control. All of that is going to be included in the packages for training.
“And they expect that unless you get certification for that, you are not going to be accepted as a Hajj manager,” he added.
Yusuf also disclosed that Saudi Arabia initially required Nigeria to transfer 98% of its Hajj slots to private companies immediately.
The arrangement was subsequently reviewed, with 30% of the operation expected to move to private companies in 2027, while the remaining transition will be spread across 2028 and 2029.
On Nigeria’s Hajj quota, Yusuf said Saudi authorities had maintained that the 50,000 slots allocated to Nigeria were fixed for the current period.
“The Saudis had told us that the 50,000 quota they gave us was sacrosanct,” he said.
He said Nigeria nevertheless appealed for an increase because of the number of citizens seeking to perform the pilgrimage, but the requests were rejected.
“We had an obligation to our nationals to appeal, which we did. Unfortunately, the Saudis turned down our requests,” Yusuf said.
According to the NAHCON chairman, Saudi authorities attributed the decision to capacity utilisation and the advanced stage of preparations for the pilgrimage.
He said Saudi Arabia had, however, indicated that Nigeria’s quota could be reviewed in the following year based on the country’s performance in utilising its existing allocation.
“They however promised that next year they will consider adjustment in our quota depending on how we perform this year,” he said.
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