*Photo L-R: NAHCON Chairman/CEO and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye*
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, on Thursday briefed the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, on the outcome of this year’s Hajj and preparations for the next one.
The briefing took place during a courtesy visit by the NAHCON Chairman.
During the meeting, Ambassador Yusuf congratulated the Minister of State on his appointment and underscored the critical role of diplomacy in the successful conduct of Hajj operations.
He noted that the annual movement of over 50,000 Nigerian pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inevitably generates consular, diplomatic and welfare issues that require close coordination between NAHCON, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria’s Missions in Saudi Arabia.
The NAHCON Chairman briefed the Minister on the successful conduct of the 2026 Hajj exercise, attributing the improved performance to stricter due diligence in the engagement of service providers, effective contract management and stronger accountability measures.
He disclosed that preparations for the 2027 Hajj had already commenced in line with the Saudi authorities’ timelines and informed the Minister of State that Nigeria had been allocated about 50,000 pilgrimage slots for the exercise.
Ambassador Yusuf also informed the Minister of State of the Saudi authorities’ proposal to transition Nigeria’s Hajj operations to a predominantly private tour operator model.
The Minister of State, while receiving Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NAHCON to ensure efficient Hajj administration, enhanced consular services, and improved welfare for Nigerian pilgrims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.