By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi <\/p>\n
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has successfully concluded the outbound airlift of Nigerian pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj, bringing the operation to an end at 10:44 a.m. on Thursday, 21st May.<\/p>\n
The final flight, which came ahead of the deadline set by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the closure of inbound Hajj flights before the commencement of core Hajj rites, was operated by Max Air from Gusau International Airport with pilgrims from Zamfara State. <\/p>\n
In a statement, the NAHCON management said the airlift operation commenced on 3rd May, 2026 and ran for 18 days without major disruption. A total of 98 flights, it disclosed were operated during the period, averaging about five flights daily across Nigeria\u2019s designated departure centers.<\/p>\n
It explained that Nigeria was allocated a total Hajj quota of 50,000 pilgrims for the 2026 exercise by Saudi authorities. The quota includes 9,750 slots assigned to Licensed Tour Operators, as well as operational support personnel and statutory government officials.<\/p>\n
At the close of the outbound operation, NAHCON confirmed that about 39,000 pilgrims from the government quota, excluding officials and representatives, were successfully airlifted to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
The commission noted that a number of intending pilgrims could not make the journey due to circumstances beyond their control, including cases of death and ill health recorded after visas had been issued.<\/p>\n
NAHCON expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for what it described as an orderly, peaceful and successful coordination among all critical stakeholders throughout the exercise.<\/p>\n
Chairman\/CEO of the commission, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, commended the resilience and cooperation demonstrated by board members, staff, State Pilgrims\u2019 Welfare Boards, Licensed Tour Operators, official air carriers, security agencies, and operational committees.<\/p>\n
Yusuf also acknowledged the contributions of Nigerian pilgrims for their patience and compliance with guidelines during screening, boarding, and other logistical processes at the airports.<\/p>\n
The commission extended special appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima, for their support and supervision, saying their intervention ensured the safety and overall wellbeing of pilgrims despite uncertainties in global socio-political trends.<\/p>\n
As pilgrims settle into the Holy Land for the sacred rites, NAHCON reminded them that Hajj is a period that demands patience, discipline, sacrifice, steadfastness and fervent prayers. <\/p>\n
The commission strongly advised pilgrims to abide by all laws and regulations guiding Hajj operations in Saudi Arabia and to avoid acts capable of attracting penalties or creating difficulties for themselves and others.<\/p>\n
It further urged pilgrims to continue cooperating with officials and relevant authorities, assuring them that arrangements for Masha\u2019ir operations have been concluded and will be continuously monitored to safeguard comfort and welfare.<\/p>\n
On return logistics, the commission said preparations are being finalized for inbound flights, which are scheduled to commence on 3rd June, adding that detailed return schedules would be communicated appropriately in due course.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, NAHCON stated that preparations for future Hajj operations, including the 2027 exercise, would commence immediately after the conclusion of the current pilgrimage season. The goal, it said, is to consolidate on successes recorded and improve service delivery.<\/p>\n
The commission concluded by praying for Allah\u2019s acceptance of the pilgrims\u2019 Hajj and for their safe return to their families in Nigeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has successfully concluded the outbound airlift of Nigerian pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj, bringing the operation to an end at 10:44 a.m. on Thursday, 21st May. The final flight, which came ahead of the deadline set by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the closure […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-religion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13838"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13840,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13838\/revisions\/13840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}