2025 HAJJ: NAHCON REPLACES ITHRAA WITH NEW SERVICE PROVIDER FOR NIGERIAN PILGRIMS
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has approved Mashariqi al-Dhahabia Company as the new service provider for Hajj 2025.
The decision was finalized during the recently concluded Global Hajj Conference and Exhibition held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
NAHCON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Saleh Abdullahi, who led the Nigerian delegation, signed an agreement with the new company.
Mashariqi al-Dhahabia will be responsible for managing key aspects of the pilgrimage, including local transportation, securing pilgrims’ camps in the masha’ir (sites of core Hajj rites), providing both technological and manual security, catering services, sanitation, and other essential operations.
The signing of the contract with Mashariqi al-Dhahabia marks the end of NAHCON’s partnership with Ithraa Al Khair Company, which previously served as the official service provider for Nigerian pilgrims.
Nigerian pilgrims have long expressed dissatisfaction with the services provided by Ithraa Al Khair Company, particularly at the masha’ir—sacred sites like Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat—during the five-day core Hajj rites.
A few weeks ago, the Saudi company refunded N4.4 billion to Nigerian pilgrims due to poor service delivery during the 2023 Hajj. Similar complaints were recorded during the 2024 Hajj, under the leadership of the former NAHCON chairman.
To ensure improved service delivery for Nigerian pilgrims in the upcoming Hajj, the new NAHCON chairman led the Nigerian delegation at the Hajj Expo, visiting various service provider companies in Jeddah and Makkah. The team evaluated the providers’ expertise in catering, accommodation management, and transportation services before selecting Mashariqi al-Dhahabia.
In a statement obtained by 3SixtyIslam, NAHCON Assistant Director, Information and Publications, Fatima Sanda Usara, said, “Questions were asked on standards, capacity, manpower, especially under catering, how they plan to meet the culinary tastes of Nigerians, taking into cognisance that the country is culturally diverse, how they plan to meet the needs of Nigerian pilgrims, especially since majority may be experiencing an international trip for the first time.”
The Commission later announced that it achieved a milestone by signing a contract with a new service provider, Mashariqi al-Dhahabia Company, on January 17.
