The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has said the proposed transition of about 98 per cent of Nigeria’s public Hajj quota to a private tour operator model by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will be implemented gradually to avoid disruptions to the country’s Hajj administration system.
The commission’s position was made known on Friday by the Chairman of NAHCON, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, while addressing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha.
According to Yusuf, although the Saudi authorities have formally communicated the proposed business-to-business framework for future Hajj operations, Nigeria believes that an immediate migration to the new model would pose significant operational and economic challenges.
He explained that the proposed arrangement seeks to transfer the bulk of Nigeria’s traditional public Hajj quota from the current government-managed structure to private tour operators, a move he said would be difficult to implement at once due to the long-established role of NAHCON and the State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards.
The NAHCON chairman noted that Nigeria’s Hajj operations have for years been administered through a collaborative framework involving the commission and state pilgrimage boards, which oversee registration, logistics, welfare services and coordination for intending pilgrims.
According to him, a sudden shift to the new system could undermine existing government-to-government understandings between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, disrupt established operational arrangements and weaken the statutory responsibilities of State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards across the country.
Yusuf further warned that the proposed policy, if implemented abruptly, could affect the affordability and accessibility of Hajj for ordinary Nigerians, particularly those who rely on the existing public administration structure to undertake the pilgrimage.
“The commission has proposed a phased implementation of the new framework because of the significant economic and operational risks involved. An immediate transition could create avoidable challenges for pilgrims and stakeholders who have operated within the current structure for many years,” he said.
Despite its reservations about the pace of implementation, NAHCON expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to modernise Hajj administration through digital reforms and increased private sector participation.
Yusuf said the commission was not opposed to reforms aimed at improving service delivery but maintained that such changes should be introduced through broad consultations and a carefully managed transition process that takes into account the peculiarities of participating countries.
He stressed that a gradual implementation would allow relevant stakeholders, including state pilgrimage boards, licensed operators and intending pilgrims, to adapt to the new framework without jeopardising the smooth conduct of future Hajj exercises.
The proposed reform is part of wider efforts by Saudi authorities to restructure Hajj operations and expand the role of private operators in the management of pilgrimage services. If fully implemented, the policy would represent one of the most significant changes to Nigeria’s Hajj administration system in recent years.
