BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Ahead of the 2026 Hajj exercise, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has set N8.5m as the tentative fare for potential pilgrims.
According to NAHCON’s Assistant Director Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, the fare was announced after a post-Hajj meeting with Chairmen and Secretaries of State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards to review the 2025 Hajj operations.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Usara said the fare is provisional pending final negotiations on all service contracts.
She added that Nigeria also retained its 95,000-slot allocation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and allocation of slots to state welfare boards remains as it were last year.
The statement further quoted NAHCON’s Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, as appreciating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his steadfast support to Nigerian pilgrims and the Commission.
Prof Usman also highlighted the Federal Government’s intervention that enabled Hajj carriers to accept payments in Naira, shielding pilgrims from foreign exchange shocks.
It was gathered that the Commissioner in charge of Planning, Research and Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar Abubakar Yagawal, led discussions on the 2026 Hajj Calendar while Commissioner Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, handled operational matters.
Flagging off discussions on the possible rollover of contracts for the four airlines that operated during the 2025 Hajj, Prince Elegushi drew attention to time constraints and bureaucratic hurdles as well as the Saudi calendar and its expectations from Hajj participating countries.
He said the proposed arrangement will give room for Nigeria to book airlift slots early while avoiding rush and crowded schedules.
