*Photo: VP Kashim Shettima( middle) with NAHCON officias*
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the seamless handling of the 2026 hajj operation.
He spoke on Wednesday when he received the Board and management of NAHCON, and representatives of the State Pilgrims Welfare Boards, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The delegation met with the Vice President to brief him on the just concluded 2026 Hajj exercise and projections for future operations.
In his interaction with the team, VP Shettima praised the efforts of NAHCON, the State Pilgrims Welfare Boards and other stakeholders, congratulating them on an almost seamless performance.
He said the performance of the team in the 2026 exercise should be the benchmark going forward, particularly as authorities move towards adopting a more sustainable model that guarantees 100 percent hitch-free pilgrimage.
Earlier, the Chairman of NAHCON, Amb. Ismail Abba Yusuf, who gave a summarised report of the 2026 exercise, also appraised the VP of the decision of the Saudi authorities to migrate to a more sustainable business to business model.
Amb. Yusuf said the move by the Saudi authorities to cede the handling of 98% of pilgrims to private tour operator patronage was in pursuit of the government’s vision 2030 which encourages a business to business model, with the Hajj Comission maintaining its regulatory role while ceding operational aspects of hajj to the private sector.
He said the commission remains fully committed and charged in delivering on this new task, noting that plans were already in motion to actualise the objective.