Nigeria warns Hajj reforms could push up fares over next three years
NAHCON chairman Ismail Yusuf says Nigerian Hajj fares may rise as Saudi Arabia changes how the pilgrimage is administered and removes the lower-cost Grade D package. He said private operators will assume a larger role, while Nigeria’s 50,000-place allocation remains unchanged for now.
Nigeria’s Hajj fares may increase over the next three years as Saudi Arabia introduces reforms to the organisation of the pilgrimage, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria chairman Ismail Yusuf said on Monday. Speaking at a media roundtable in Abuja on the 2026 Hajj policy reforms, Yusuf said Saudi Arabia plans to move Hajj operations from government boards to private companies. He also said the Grade D package, which many Nigerian pilgrims have used because it is cheaper, is being discontinued.
Yusuf said Saudi authorities want Hajj administrators to receive specialised training in areas including logistics, medical services, disaster management and crowd control. Certification would be required for people working as Hajj managers, he said. Nigeria was initially asked to transfer 98 per cent of its Hajj slots to private companies immediately, according to Yusuf.
He said that arrangement was revised so that 30 per cent would be transferred in 2027, with the remainder spread across 2028 and 2029. Yusuf said Saudi Arabia had maintained Nigeria’s quota at 50,000 after rejecting a request for more places. He attributed the decision to capacity utilisation and the advanced stage of preparations, but said Nigeria’s allocation could be reviewed next year depending on how effectively the current quota is used.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.