• NAHCON airlifts 26,177 Nigerians
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Sunday revealed that more than 500,000 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s Hajj exercise.
This is as the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), as of 6:45 pm on Sunday, had airlifted a total of 26,177 Nigerian pilgrims to the Holy Land in a total of 64 flights from different departure centres across Nigeria.
The Saudi Gazette Newspaper reported that the figure represented 36 percent of the total number of visas issued for the 2025 Hajj, a spiritual exercise mandatory for every Muslim to perform at least once in a lifetime.
The newspaper reported that as of Sunday, a total of 504,600 pilgrims landed in the Kingdom, including 493,100 pilgrims arrived by air, 10,100 pilgrims arrived by land, and 1,400 pilgrims by sea.
Saudi authorities had on Tuesday, April 29, received the first sets of pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom for this year’s Hajj, including those travelling under the Makkah Route Initiative, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Malaysia, who arrived in the Kingdom through the airports in Jeddah and Madinah.
For this year’s exercise, Saudi authorities designated six airports to serve pilgrims, namely King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah; Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Madinah;
Prince Mohsen bin Abdulaziz Airport, Yanbu; Taif International Airport, Taif; King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh; and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, according to the Saudi Gazette Newspaper, shared a series of messages across its social media platforms to welcome pilgrims from across the globe to the Kingdom.
Such messages, the newspaper reported, included, “Welcome, Guests of the Most Gracious. You are most welcome. And have a pleasant stay.”
“The ministry affirmed that the arrival of pilgrims through the Kingdom’s various entry points has been handled with high efficiency and exceptional coordination, supported by an integrated system of services and smooth procedures to ensure a seamless experience.
“The ministry had also reiterated the importance of obtaining an official Hajj permit, highlighting that it enables pilgrims to perform the rituals with ease, comfort, and peace of mind, while ensuring access to all services and facilities dedicated to them during their sacred journey,” the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, according to information made available by NAHCON’s Command and Control Centre in Abuja, of the 26,177 Nigerian pilgrims already in Saudi Arabia, 14,138 had departed Madinah after spending a few days there for Makkah ahead of the commencement of the Hajj proper, expected to begin in the first week of June.
A total of 12,039 Nigerians, including those airlifted today, are still in Madinah. They will be transported to Makkah by road after their stay in Madinah, the second-holiest Islamic city.
The Command and Control Centre further informed that a total of 25,079 pilgrims were airlifted directly to Madinah from various departure centres in the country, while 1,098 landed in Jeddah.
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