The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has advised intending pilgrims who completed their payments late for the 2026 Hajj to remain calm and await further updates, as many may be unable to participate in the exercise.
In a statement issued by the commission’s Deputy Director of Information and Publications, Fatima Sanda Usara, NAHCON explained that the situation arose following the closure of Saudi Arabia’s Hajj portal shortly after Nigeria secured an increase in its pilgrimage slots.
Saudi authorities had earlier reduced Nigeria’s Hajj quota from 95,000 to 50,000. However, diplomatic engagements later led to an upward review of the allocation. According to NAHCON, the approval for the additional slots came close to the period when Saudi Arabia shut down its portal for pilgrims’ data registration.
Usara recalled that after the initial reduction to 50,000 slots, NAHCON convened a meeting with state officials and cancelled earlier allocations, adopting a first-come, first-served policy based strictly on confirmed remittances.
She stated that many State Pilgrims Welfare Boards subsequently secured funding and made payments in line with the new arrangement. Camp bookings were then allocated based on remittances completed on or before January 2, which was set as the deadline.
However, a few states, including Kaduna and Niger, later received limited additional allocations. This, she said, became possible through internal spooling from states that had made excess payments.
The commission emphasised that it had consistently warned stakeholders against late registration, noting that Saudi authorities would strictly enforce operational deadlines.
“Although NAHCON sought additional slots later, approval for the additional slots was received after Saudi’s key operational portals had closed,” the statement noted.
NAHCON appealed to intending pilgrims who paid after the deadline to remain patient, assuring them that further information would be communicated as necessary.
