Nigeria will have to work with its existing allocation of 50,000 pilgrims for the 2027 Hajj after Saudi Arabia declined the country’s request for additional slots.
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The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria had sought an increase from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah following growing interest among Nigerian Muslims and requests from various state pilgrims’ welfare boards.
However, the Saudi authorities said the request could not be granted because of capacity limitations, infrastructure constraints around the holy sites and the Kingdom’s policy of adhering to the quotas approved for individual countries.
The development was announced by NAHCON in a statement issued on Thursday.
The commission’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Amb Ismail Yusuf, said he understood the concerns of intending pilgrims and state authorities that had expected an increase in Nigeria’s allocation.
Yusuf said NAHCON had explored diplomatic and operational channels in an attempt to secure more slots but accepted the decision reached by the Saudi authorities.
He stated, “We appreciate the deep spiritual desire of many Nigerian Muslims to perform Hajj and understand the expectations of states and stakeholders seeking additional slots.”
The chairman subsequently directed state pilgrims’ welfare boards, agencies and licensed tour operators to ensure that their respective allocations were handled transparently and in line with the commission’s guidelines.
He also reminded stakeholders that September 26, 2026, remained the final date for submitting the details of prospective pilgrims for the 2027 exercise through the designated Nusuk-Masar platform.
Yusuf warned that the deadline would not be extended, urging all relevant bodies to complete the required process before the cut-off date.
For Nigerians who could not secure places for the 2027 pilgrimage, he advised them to consider registering for the 2028 Hajj, noting that registration for the subsequent exercise had already commenced.
Under the quota approved for Nigeria, government-sponsored pilgrims will occupy 35,000 slots, while licensed Hajj tour operators have been allocated the remaining 15,000.
NAHCON said preparations for the 2027 Hajj were continuing despite the unchanged quota and promised to issue further information on operational arrangements and the new business-to-business framework through its official communication channels.
The commission further stated that state authorities were expected to conclude payment of Hajj fares for their pilgrims by December 2, 2026.
It added that compliance with Saudi Arabia’s quota system was mandatory for participating countries and essential to the orderly conduct of the annual pilgrimage.
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