Hajj 2024: Nigeria gets 95,000 slots, says NAHCON

Hajj 2024: Nigeria gets 95,000 slots, says NAHCON

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced the allocation of 95,000 Hajj seats to Nigeria in the forthcoming 2024 Hajj.

This was made known via a virtual meeting held between the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah held on Tuesday.

The meeting which officially marked the start of the 2024 Hajj was attended by the Chairman, House Committee on Hajj, Hon Jafar Mohammed, representatives of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, as well as the Nigerian Consul-General in Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Bello Abdulkadir.

A statement on Wednesday by the commission’s Deputy Director Information & Publications, Mousa Ubandawaki, said the highpoints of the discussion was that Nigeria should finalize all arrangements and negotiation with service providers including the catering, accommodation and transportation within the next 120 days.

NAHCON is also expected to submit the lists of medical and other officials to the Kingdom very early as the Kingdom has plans to work with the two bodies very closely.

It will ensure that only air carriers with at least two Aircraft on its fleet and a back-up are appointed or allowed to participate in the 2024 Hajj operation.

Leading the the Saudi team, Dr Badr Mohammed Al- Somi urged the Commission to strive to meet up with the timeline in order to enable the ministry to make adequate plan and avoid the experience and incidents witnessed in this year’s Hajj.

“We want all Hajj Missions to be proactive in meeting our time frame, so that we won’t allow what happened previously and also to give the missions sufficient time to examine the services before Pilgrims’ arrival,” Al- Talaheen said.

He promised that the refund sought by the Commission was being worked on and that as soon as the result of its investigative Committee is released, it would be acted upon accordingly.

Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, had earlier called on the Saudi authorities to expedite action on the refund of the feeding and tent services not provided in the Mashair.

He stressed the need for the Kingdom to disengage from the provision of feeding service in the Masha’ir and allow the country to take over Muna and Arafat to afford the pilgrims opportunities to enjoy delicacies they are used to at home.