National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has intensified its preparations for the 2026 Hajj, with renewed emphasis on coordination, interdepartmental cooperation, and enhanced service delivery.
This commitment was reinforced on Thursday during a strategic operational review meeting held at the Hajj House headquarters of the commission and attended by the Chairman, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, Commissioners, Directors, and representatives of Acosta Media.
According to a statement by the NAHCON’s Principal Information Officer, Shafii Sani Mohammed, the monthly staff training centred on Madina Operations, with the chairman stressing the need for professionalism, accountability, and teamwork across all operational units.
Usman informed that Saudi Arabia continues to introduce new policies and technological reforms, making it essential for NAHCON staff to remain updated and adaptable.
“Policies and technologies in Saudi Arabia change every year, and the expectations of Nigerian pilgrims continue to rise. We must therefore ensure we are fully prepared, better informed, and highly coordinated,” he said.
Addressing last year’s operational challenges, Usman reminded staff that the lessons learned must drive improvements in the upcoming exercise.
“We saw the areas where we fell short. This year, we must be more disciplined, united, and committed to delivering the best for our pilgrims,” he added.
The chairman also emphasized on the importance of understanding some gaps observed in last year’s operations and encouraged staff to ask questions, share knowledge, and support one another, stressing that Hajj operations evolve every year—even for officials permanently based in Saudi Arabia.
In his remarks address, the Commissioner for Policy, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services, PRSILS, Professor Abubakar Yagawal, strongly called for a complaint-free experience for Nigerian pilgrims in the Prophet’s City.
“Please try to solve their problems, because any complaint against Madina, to my own sight, is a complaint to the Prophet. Therefore, do not allow our pilgrims to make any complaint—whether on food, accommodation, or visitations.
“If a pilgrim feels comfort in Madina, it is a very good start and he will be smiling all along. But if he starts with a problem in Madina, the consequences will be very bad,” he said.
Earlier, the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Alhaji Alidu Shutti, reaffirmed management’s commitment to strengthening staff capacity ahead of the 2026 Hajj.