The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has reportedly denied official Hajj visas to the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards officers, which may result in poor coordination in Saudi Arabia.
This publication’s investigations reveal that Saudi Arabia typically allocates official Hajj visas equivalent to one per cent of the total state government pilgrims’ quota. By this calculation, Nigeria would receive approximately 750 official Hajj visas, representing one per cent of the total quota of 75,000 pilgrims allocated to the country this year.
According to the NAHCON sharing formula, the commission automatically allocates two official visas to the chairmen and executive secretaries of the 36 state pilgrims boards and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), totalling 74 visas. Additionally, NAHCON allocates one official visa for every 200 pilgrims, amounting to 375. The total official visa allocation to the states (375 + 74) would reach 449.
According to an official familiar with the matter, the commission will distribute the remaining 301 (750 – 449) visas to its medical team members, NAHCON officials, clerics, and institutional stakeholders.
This publication has learned that the official Hajj visa facilitates the coordination of pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah. The official visa enables state pilgrims’ officials to address emergencies faced by pilgrims at short notice within the kingdom without significant hindrance from security agents.
Unlike regular pilgrims, official visa holders will not have their passports confiscated upon arrival in the kingdom. However, the visa does not include accommodation in Makkah.
Documents reveal that the commission, in a letter dated 16th April 2025, with reference number: NAHCON/SB/33/XX/, addressed to all chairmen and secretaries of the state pilgrims’ boards, notified them that the 850 official Hajj visas it was expecting from the Saudi authorities for this year had not been released.
“…the Commission urges you to, instead of waiting for the allocation of official Hajj visas from the Commission, use your initial Hajj allocation to cover all your officials,” the letter, signed by NAHCON Chairman and CEO, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, stated.
Although the commission promised to update the state pilgrims’ boards when the official Hajj visas were released, it failed to do so, even after the official visas were eventually issued around three weeks ago, according to insiders involved with visa processing within the commission.
Insiders have indicated that, for the first time in the commission’s history, the Saudi authorities released official visas not based on the 75,000 pilgrims’ quota, but according to the number of registered pilgrims.
“This is the second time the Saudi authorities have treated the commission this way due to integrity issues surrounding the NAHCON leadership. The first instance occurred during Barr Zikirullah Kunle Hassan’s tenure, when the Saudis withdrew compensation cheques meant for NAHCON to distribute to victims of the crane accident, opting instead to hand them directly to the Saudi embassy for distribution,” an insider familiar with visa handling within the commission disclosed to this publication in confidence.
After receiving the official visas three weeks ago, insiders at the Hajj commission revealed that the official visas were allocated to the spouses of certain management staff and selected personnel for N4.5 million each.
Further investigation has shown that NAHCON officials are now selling the official visas to interested individuals for N7.5 million.
Numerous executive secretaries of the pilgrims’ boards have confirmed to this publication that as of Tuesday afternoon, NAHCON had not released official visas to any of them.
“This is the first time in the history of Hajj in Nigeria that state pilgrims’ officials have been denied official Hajj visas,” one official at NAHCON remarked to one of our reporters in confidence.
Another senior official stated, “The denial of the official Hajj visa to state officials who oversee the pilgrims will pose significant logistical challenges for coordination.”
“With the official visa, state pilgrims’ officials could move freely to assist with any emergencies faced by pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah. Without the official Hajj visa, these officials will struggle with their movements in the kingdom as they will not have their passports,” another official lamented.
Officials who spoke to our reporters expressed concern that selling these official Hajj visas to regular pilgrims could lead to chaos, as these pilgrims, lacking accommodation in Makkah, would occupy spaces reserved for Hajj officials.
“Those who purchase the official visas might attempt to invade the accommodations set aside for Hajj officials, mistakenly believing they are entitled to them. However, their official visa does not cover accommodation. Therefore, the actions of the Hajj commission are a recipe for chaos. These individuals may even protest at the NAHCON office in Makkah,” another official commented confidently.
Stakeholders have stated that NAHCON’s treatment of the state pilgrims’ boards as secondary is counterproductive to Hajj operations, as the states, not NAHCON, own the pilgrims. They have also urged the EFCC to investigate the use of official visas for the 2025 Hajj.
Further investigations by this publication revealed that a female NAHCON staff member was dismissed during the tenure of Barr Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad for selling an official visa to a regular pilgrim.
“I recall how the female staff member was tracked down for selling an official Hajj visa. She was investigated by a disciplinary committee and ultimately dismissed from the commission,” he recounted.
The senior official added, however, that “the situation is dire now because the commission’s leadership is allegedly involved in the official Hajj visa racketeering. Therefore, one cannot expect them to take any action.”
It has also been reported that the official Hajj visa racketeering was allegedly orchestrated by a personal assistant to one of the commission’s former chief executives.
The EFCC later traced millions of naira into the accounts of the PA, who was subsequently arrested and investigated,” the insider alleged.