NAHCON and upbeat swing for Hajj 2025
NAHCON and upbeat swing for Hajj 2025
By Kabir Alabi Garba
“Thus, Hajj – Pilgrimage to the Sacred House in Makkah is owed to God, as an obligation upon all people who are able to attain a way to it. And as to those who disbelieve this, know, then, that God is, indeed, self-sufficient, without any need from any of His creation in all the worlds” Qur’an 3V97.
As the statutory agency that oversees the Hajj operation in the country, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that 2025 edition is seamless, safe, and spiritually fulfilling for the pilgrims and Nigeria as well.
In the last couple of weeks, it has been a beehive of activities reflecting the commitment to excellent outing the Commission attached to its obligation. Just last Tuesday (January 7, 2025), a delegation led by the Chairman of NAHCON, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, embarked on a working visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The visit, which is at the invitation of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU), is majorly to facilitate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the 2025 Hajj and to finalize other arrangements for the yearly Muslim pilgrimage.
The delegation, in a statement issued by the NAHCON Assistant Director, Information and Publication, Fatima Usara, comprises NAHCON Commissioner for Planning, Research, Statistics, Information, and Library Services (PRSILS), Prof. Abubakar Abubakar Yagawal; Commissioner for Operations, Inspectorate, and Licensing Services (OILS), Prince Anofiu Olanrewaju Elegushi; and Commissioner in charge of Policy, Personnel Management, and Finance (PPMF), Alhaji Aliu Abdulrazaq.
Representatives from the States Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards/Agencies/Commissions (SPWB/A/C) as well as Private Tour Operators (PTOs) are expected to join the pre-Hajj visit. National Assembly, the Presidency, the aviation industry representatives, as well as select NAHCON Board Members are part of the delegation to provide oversight and facilitate decision-making.
Key activities during the visit, Usara mentioned, would include the Bilateral Meeting and MoU signing for the 2025 Hajj, scheduled for January 12, 2025. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar is expected to sign the MoU on behalf of Nigeria, while the delegation would also attend the International Hajj Expo beginning on January 13, 2025, where they will explore and evaluate service provider options for Nigerian pilgrims.
Ahead of these major events, Usara added, the NAHCON head and his team would engage in consular meetings, visits and meetings with heads of other countries’ Hajj missions, discussions with the supervisors of the Hajj e-track registration portal, discussions with General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and consultations with stakeholders to finalize the Commission’s preparations for the MoU signing.
According to her, “following these engagements, various contracts will be signed based on the agreements reached. The agreement will include signing of contracts with United Agents, Car Syndicates, Tafweej, Adillah in Madinah, health supervision company among others.
Other NAHCON staff will inspect accommodation, catering facilities, and medical establishments in Makkah and Madinah to ensure they meet the required standards before form al agreements are reached.
Similarly, Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, early in the week, hosted an intensive training programme on the Nusuk Masar platform at the Elm office in Jeddah, with participants from NAHCON’s nusuk Masar committee. The training was part of preparations for the 2025 Hajj.
The sessions focused on equipping NAHCON staff with skills to utilize Nusuk Masar’s advanced features, such as real-time tracking, masha’ir, visa processing, accommodation and feeding coordination. The platform is designed to streamline 2025 Hajj operations, ensuring a seamless experience for pilgrims while improving efficiency and transparency for managing Nigeria’s hajj.
It would be recalled that the Nusuk-Masar (e-TRACK) Committee was inaugurated by the NAHCON Chairman on October 17, 2024. During the event, he emphasized the platform’s critical role in simplifying pilgrims’ Hajj procedures. Prof. Usman described the committee’s work as the backbone of the 2025 Hajj operation. The committee was tasked with activating and managing the portal, training stakeholders, and ensuring compliance with Saudi Arabian requirements.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) has commended the appointment of Alidu Shutti as Acting Secretary of the Commission describing such decision as a “painstaking thoroughness in identifying quality personnel from within.”
In a statement signed by the President of MUSWEN, who is also Deputy President-General (South) of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, the group tasked the new scribe to “bring your experience in running Hajj operations, which you have garnered and deployed over the years, to manifestly reflect in this new position of responsibility, for the benefit of the entire Muslim Ummah in Nigeria.”
MUSWEN specifically commended the NAHCON Chairman for “this well-thought-out decision of looking inwards to identify an experienced hand, versatile in your operations. This is, as opposed to the approach of appointing someone who will still require going through training and induction into the culture and the inner workings of NAHCON.”
While the group extends its hand of fellowship for a good partnership with NAHCON, especially in the South West, MUSWEN prays that the commission will continue to steer the ship of blissful Hajj for teeming Muslim brothers and sisters in Nigeria.
MUSWEN, with its headquarters in Ibadan, is an umbrella body for all Muslim Communities/Councils and all Muslim organisations in the six states of South West Nigeria: Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states.
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