Given the delay in announcing the start of pilgrim registration by some states’ Muslim pilgrim welfare boards and agencies, the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), an organization that reports and monitors hajj and umrah activities, has urged state governors to give hajj issues top priority.
In a statement signed by its national coordinator, Ibrahim Mohammed, the IHR expressed concern that a number of states had yet to begin the registration process despite receiving a directive from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in August.
The group stated that it was aware that several executive secretaries of Muslim pilgrim welfare boards had failed to submit the 2024 hajj reports to their governors, and as a result, they had yet to receive consent from their chief executives to begin pilgrim registration.
The IHR expressed concern that some states have yet to begin registration, despite the fact that they were expected to remit the first tranche of pilgrim deposits to NAHCON on October 2, 2024 (per the NAHCON 2025 hajj calendar), for onward transfer to Saudi-based service providers to pay for tent spaces in Mina.
“That the states’ Muslim pilgrim welfare boards will need separate approval from state governors to start pilgrims’ registration even after being given permission by the apex hajj regulatory body is a peculiar procedural headache for the hajj industry that requires immediate solutions,” the group pointed out.
It stated: “It is important to note that on October 23, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj began allocating tent spaces to Hajj participating countries that had paid.”
“Any executive secretaries of states’ Muslim pilgrim welfare boards who have not submitted their 2024 hajj report four months after 2024 hajj should be removed and replaced with a more competent person.”
The IHR informed governors that the delay in registering pilgrims is one of the causes of the bad services received by Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia each year.
“Late registration leads to late remittances of pilgrims’ registration funds to NAHCON, affecting the commission’s capacity to make payments to Saudi-based service providers on time, allowing them to make appropriate preparations to deliver effective services to our dear pilgrims.
“Administrative bureaucracies in states are causing serious disruptions to the implementation of the hajj calendar, and something needs to be done to amend the NAHCON Establishment Act 2006 to allow pilgrims from states to begin early registration without waiting for approval from state chief executives.
“Hajj is a global affair in which over 162 participating countries are expected to implement a uniform calendar yearly as released by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj to serve as a guide for hajj preparations,” according to the organization.
