ABUJA — The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has secured an additional allocation of 10,000 slots from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, officially increasing Nigeria’s total quota for the 2027 pilgrimage from 50,000 to 60,000.
The regulatory breakthrough follows intense bilateral diplomacy led by NAHCON management after Saudi authorities initially pegged Nigeria’s quota at 50,000 pilgrims due to international operational frameworks and historical allocation benchmarks.
Speaking on the development on Thursday, NAHCON officials confirmed that the expanded allocation will directly accommodate more prospective Muslim pilgrims across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and accredited private tour operators.
Under the revised distribution framework, state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards will receive the lion’s share of the additional slots to ease regional waitlists, while private operator quotas will be expanded subject to strict compliance with Saudi Arabia’s Nusuk-Masar digital registration platform.
NAHCON commended the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for reversing its earlier restriction, urging state agencies and intending pilgrims to expedite biometric verification and early payment schedules to ensure seamless administrative preparation ahead of the 2027 exercise.
