Hajj 2027: Saudi Arabia insists on 50,000 quota for Nigeria — NAHCON

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says Saudi Arabia has insisted that Nigeria’s 50,000 Hajj slots allocated for the 2027 pilgrimage remain sacrosanct.

The NAHCON Chairman, Ismail Yusuf, disclosed this at a media roundtable on the 2026 Hajj policy reforms of Saudi Arabia and their implications for Nigeria’s Hajj operations, held in Abuja on Monday, September 21, 2026.

Yusuf said Nigeria had appealed to the Saudi authorities for an increase in the allocation but the request was rejected because of capacity and the advanced stage of preparations for the pilgrimage.

“The Saudis had told us that the 50,000 quota they gave us was sacrosanct,” Yusuf said.

He explained that Nigeria had an obligation to appeal for more slots because of the number of Nigerians interested in performing the pilgrimage.

“We had an obligation to our nationals to appeal, which we did. Unfortunately, the Saudis turned down our requests,” the NAHCON chairman stated.

Yusuf said Saudi authorities attributed the decision to capacity utilisation and the fact that preparations for the pilgrimage had already gone far.

He, however, said Saudi Arabia had promised to review Nigeria’s allocation in the following year based on the country’s performance in utilising its current quota.

“They however promised that next year they will consider adjustment in our quota depending on how we perform this year,” Yusuf added.

NAHCON debunks alleged 5,000 Hajj slot diversion

The NAHCON boss said the performance assessment would particularly focus on Nigeria’s ability to fully utilise the 50,000 slots allocated to the country.

Yusuf explained that each country participating in Hajj was assigned a predetermined number of pilgrims based on available space, logistics, and other services.

“These numbers are predetermined,” Yusuf said, adding that countries could not exceed their approved allocations because of the limited capacity available for pilgrims.

He said Nigeria’s 50,000 slots were divided between the government-controlled pilgrimage system and the tour operator model under the new Saudi arrangements.

According to him, 35,000 slots had been allocated to the government quota, while 15,000 slots were earmarked for tour operators.

“That is what makes our 50,000,” Yusuf said, stressing that the allocation was designed to reflect the new structure being introduced by the Saudi authorities.