Saudi Arabia cuts Nigeria’s 2026 Hajj slots to 66,910 Over underutilisation — NAHCON

Saudi Arabia Cuts Nigeria’s 2026 Hajj Slots to 66,910 Over Underutilisation — NAHCON

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that Saudi Arabia has reduced Nigeria’s hajj quota for 2026 to 66,910 slots, following the country’s underutilisation of its 95,000-slot allocation in 2025.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the commission’s Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, Fatima Usara, said the new figure was reserved on the NUSUK Masar portal by Saudi authorities.

According to Usara, the development was disclosed by NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Anofiu Elegushi, during a meeting with officials of state pilgrims’ welfare boards.

“The implication of this is that while 95,000 slots were allocated to Nigeria, the actual number that can participate in the 2026 Hajj is 51,513 for states and all other officials, while 15,397 will go to licensed tour operators,” the statement read.

Elegushi noted that Saudi Arabia’s decision was based on Nigeria’s failure to utilise its full allocation during the 2025 hajj. He added that the 2026 state allocations would be determined by each state’s level of utilisation in the previous year.

Meanwhile, NAHCON Board Member representing the Ministry of Health, Saidu Dumbulwa, revealed that Saudi Arabia had introduced stricter health regulations for intending pilgrims.

He explained that individuals with health conditions such as organ failure, psychiatric or neurological disorders, dementia, pregnancy, tuberculosis, active cancer under chemotherapy, and other communicable diseases would be barred from entering the Kingdom.

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Dumbulwa said the new health measures were aimed at preventing disease transmission, reducing deaths, and easing the burden on Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system during the pilgrimage.

He added that medical screening would henceforth be conducted only in designated hospitals, and medical certificates would require signatures from approved officials and countersignatures from state chief medical directors to curb forgery.

“The commission emphasised that visa issuance will now be tied to verified medical certificates at the point of entry. Hence, all health regulations must be strictly observed, as any violation will hold Nigeria collectively accountable,” he said.

In a related development, NAHCON Commissioner for Policy, Personnel Management, and Finance, Aliu AbdulRazak, disclosed that the commission had secured approval to remit state funds to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regularly to take advantage of favourable exchange rates.

Adetona Adedeji, the CBN representative on the NAHCON board, said he would present the commission’s request to the apex bank to reduce the two percent charge on pilgrims’ transactions.

NAHCON Chairman, Abdullahi Usman, said the commission was negotiating lower service costs—such as cargo handling fees—to ease the financial burden on pilgrims without compromising quality.

He directed state boards to submit updated figures of registered pilgrims to verify alignment with NAHCON’s projections and reminded them of the December 21 deadline for remittances.

“To ensure timely payments, NAHCON will embark on nationwide sensitisation for states and pilgrims to highlight the urgency of meeting the deadline,” Usman said.

The chairman also announced that the 2026 hajj will adopt international luggage standards, allowing each pilgrim two 23-kilogram checked bags and one backpack as hand luggage.

 

Saudi Arabia Cuts Nigeria’s 2026 Hajj Slots to 66,910 Over Underutilisation — NAHCON