National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced a tentative fare of N8.5 million for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
Gatekeepers News reports that the decision was made during a post-hajj review meeting with state pilgrims’ welfare boards at the Hajj House in Abuja.
According to Fatima Usara, NAHCON’s assistant director of information and publication, the commission’s chairman, Abdullahi Usman, made the announcement after deliberations with stakeholders.
Usman thanked President Bola Tinubu for his consistent support of pilgrims and the commission, particularly for allowing hajj carriers to accept payments in naira, shielding pilgrims from foreign exchange rate volatility.
“The NAHCON chairman, after deliberations, announced a tentative deposit of N8.5 million as the provisional fare for the 2026 Hajj as agreed collectively, pending final negotiations on all service contracts,” Usara said.
Usman also announced that Nigeria has retained its 95,000-slot allocation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with allocation of slots to state welfare boards remaining unchanged from last year.
The NAHCON chairman commended the federal government for directing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend its policy mandating credit card-only payments for basic travel allowance (BTA), noting that it would have disadvantaged many pilgrims.
“We appreciate the federal government’s intervention, which allowed hajj carriers to accept payments in naira,” Usman said. “This has shielded pilgrims from the volatility of foreign exchange rates.”
Usman also called on stakeholders to provide honest and constructive feedback on the 2025 hajj to identify gaps and improve future operations.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the 2026 Hajj calendar, led by Abubakar Yagawal, commissioner in charge of planning, research, and statistics.
Anofiu Elegushi, commissioner of operations, also proposed rolling over contracts for the four airlines that operated during the 2025 Hajj to overcome time constraints and secure early airlift slots.
