Saudi Arabia cuts Nigeria’s 2026 Hajj quota to 66,910 over underutilisation — NAHCON
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says Saudi Arabia has reduced Nigeria’s allocation for the 2026 Hajj to 66,910 slots, citing the country’s underutilisation of its 95,000 quota in 2025.
In a statement on Thursday, Fatima Usara, NAHCON’s deputy director of information and public relations, said the revised figure was reflected on the NUSUK Masar portal by Saudi authorities.
According to Usara, Anofiu Elegushi, NAHCON’s commissioner of operations, announced the development 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.
She added that Saudi Arabia reduced the slots “to this figure of 66,910 on the portal due to underutilisation of slots in the previous year.”
Elegushi said that the allocation for each state in 2026 would depend on its level of utilisation during the 2025 exercise.
Saidu Dumbulwa, NAHCON board member representing the ministry of health, said Saudi Arabia had introduced stricter health requirements for intending pilgrims.
He explained that individuals with organ failure, psychiatric or neurological disorders, and dementia would no longer be permitted to enter the kingdom.
Dumbulwa also listed other restricted conditions to include pregnancy, tuberculosis, active cancer under chemotherapy, and other communicable diseases.
According to him, the measures are designed to prevent disease transmission, reduce mortality, and ease the burden on Saudi Arabia’s health system during the pilgrimage.
He noted that medical screening for intending pilgrims would henceforth be conducted only in designated hospitals, and that only approved officials of integrity would be authorised to sign medical certificates, which must then be countersigned by a state’s chief medical director to prevent forgery.
“The commission emphasised that visa issuance will now be tied to verified medical certificates at the point of entry,” Dumbulwa said.
“Hence, all health regulations must be strictly observed, as any violation will hold Nigeria collectively accountable.”
In a related development, Aliu AbdulRazak, NAHCON’s commissioner in charge of policy, personnel management, and finance, said the commission had secured approval to remit states’ funds to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on a regular basis.
He said the commission’s chairman, Abdullahi Usman, approved the move to help NAHCON take advantage of favourable exchange rates as remittances are received from the states.
Adetona Adedeji, the CBN representative on the NAHCON board, added that he would present the commission’s request to the apex bank to reduce the current two percent charge on pilgrims’ transactions.
