Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday praised the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for what he called an “almost seamless” execution of the 2026 Hajj season, and urged officials to use the performance as a model for future pilgrimages.
Shettima received NAHCON’s board and management, alongside representatives from state pilgrims’ welfare boards, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications Stanley Nkwocha said in a statement that the delegation briefed him on the recently concluded exercise and outlined plans and projections for subsequent years.
“You should take this as the benchmark going forward,” Shettima said, urging a shift toward a sustainable model designed to deliver hitch‑free pilgrimages.
NAHCON chairman Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf told Shettima that Saudi authorities are transitioning more of the Hajj’s operational responsibilities to private tour operators as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Under the new arrangement, the commission will retain regulatory oversight while ceding about 98% of pilgrim handling to private-sector providers, Amb. Yusuf said.
He added that NAHCON was preparing to align its structures and processes with the business‑to‑business framework and remained committed to delivering on the revised mandate.
