CSO urges NAHCON to open 2027 Hajj registration

Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a faith-based civil society organisation advocating workable policies within the Hajj industry, has advised the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria to establish a special Hajj calendar harmonisation committee and commence early registration for the 2027 Hajj.

The group made the call in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, and made available to journalists on Tuesday.

According to the statement, recurring operational challenges in Nigeria’s Hajj preparations are largely due to late pilgrim registration and delays in implementing pre-Hajj timelines.

“The fundamental operational challenges encountered yearly are largely due to late registration and the behind-schedule pre-Hajj timeline operated in Nigeria.

“This has affected our ability to comply with the Hajj calendar set by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, thereby creating serious setbacks in the level of our preparations every year,” the statement said.

IHR said there was an urgent need for the apex Hajj regulatory body to establish a Hajj calendar harmonisation committee that would develop a comprehensive annual pre-Hajj timetable and ensure strict compliance across all stakeholders.

According to the group, such a committee would harmonise the registration timelines of State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards and private Hajj operators to ensure alignment with the domesticated version of the Saudi Hajj calendar, particularly in the areas of pilgrim registration, medical screening and orientation.

It noted that the absence of a unified registration guideline had led to some states continuing pilgrim registration even after official deadlines had elapsed, creating difficulties for intending pilgrims who might eventually miss the opportunity to perform Hajj.

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The State’s Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board’s asymmetric hajj registration timeline resulted in the remaining registered pilgrims whose data was not uploaded on the Saudi Hajj portal this year. Nigeria, as a single Hajj body, ought to implement a system in which all states start registering on a given date and finish at a predetermined time.

“There should be strict and uniform timelines to ensure smoother and more efficient Hajj coordination. Saudi Arabia has already shifted to a ‘first-come, first-served’ model in addition to strict contractual deadlines for Hajj services,” the statement said.

IHR also urged NAHCON to authorise states to commence registration for the 2027 Hajj without delay, noting that the Saudi authorities have significantly shortened registration timelines in the past two years.

Early commencement of registration for the 2027 Hajj will make funds available to meet the Service providers’ contractual obligations, which have posed serious challenges to NAHCON recently.

Although we acknowledge that this call might be considered an operation within an operation, we should point out that other nations, such as Indonesia, have a three-year Hajj rolling plan that allows pilgrims to register while ongoing operations are in progress.

States may establish committees to supervise registration while the Hajj exercise is underway.

The organisation said starting early registration would not disrupt preparations for the 2026 Hajj airlift, as states could set up four-member committees to handle the exercise with support from NAHCON’s zonal offices.

The group further suggested that the 2026 Hajj fare could serve as a benchmark for the 2027 registration process, while calling on financial institutions to intensify grassroots publicity for the Hajj savings scheme to help intending pilgrims plan ahead.