The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has disclosed that Nigeria will maintain it’s previous slot of 95,000 pilgrims for the year 2020 Hajj pilgrimage.
A press release by the Head of Public Affairs of NAHCON, Fatima Usara stated that the agreement was reached during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, and Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs, Saleh Benten on December 5.
Benten, who led the Saudi delegation to the signing ceremony, said Nigeria had witnessed tremendous progress in hajj and umrah operations.
The statement said that “part of the agreement reached for 2020 Hajj includes a strong reminder on the e-track registration guideline.
“The leader of the Saudi delegation re-emphasised that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj will not recognise any contractual agreement or payment done outside the e-track portal.
“Such is considered illegal and will not be recognised by the Kingdom.”
“Prior to the signing event, Ambassador Dada conveyed President Muhammadu Buhari’s gratitude to King Salman Bin AbdulAziz and the Saudi Arabian authorities for compensating families of five dead and six injured Nigerians affected in the 2015 crane crash accident in Makkah”.
Ambassador Dada also conveyed President Buhari’s request to Saudi Arabia to assist NAHCON in every way possible, and to support its regulatory role in terms of pilgrims’ airlift to the Kingdom.
