The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has fixed N8.5 million tentatively for would-be pilgrims eyeing the 2026 Hajj exercise.
For the last 2025 exercise, the commission fixed the rate at between N8.3 million and N8.7 million.
A statement on Thursday by NAHCON’s Assistant Director Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, said the fare was announced after a post-Hajj meeting with Chairmen and Secretaries of State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards to review the 2025 Hajj operations.
Usara said the fare is pending the final negotiations on all service contracts.
She added that Nigeria also retained its 95,000-slot allocation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and allocation of slots to state welfare boards remains as it were last year.
She quoted NAHCON’s Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, as expressing appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his steadfast support to Nigerian pilgrims and the Commission.
He highlighted the Federal Government’s intervention that enabled Hajj carriers to accept payments in Naira, shielding pilgrims from foreign exchange shocks.
The Commissioner in charge of Planning, Research and Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Prof. Abubakar Abubakar Yagawal, led discussions on the 2026 Hajj Calendar while Commissioner Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, led discussions on operational matters.
The statement said Prince Elegushi opened the floor for discussions on the possible rollover of contracts for the four airlines that operated during the 2025 Hajj, citing time constraints and bureaucratic hurdles juxtaposed with the Saudi calendar and its expectations from Hajj participating countries.
