Saudi Arabia has turned down Nigeria’s request for additional slots for the 2027 Hajj, leaving the country with a quota of 50,000 pilgrims for next year’s pilgrimage.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying it had appealed to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for more slots following increased demand from intending pilgrims.
The Commission said state pilgrims’ welfare boards had also made strong appeals for additional allocations as the number of Nigerians seeking to perform the pilgrimage continued to rise.
But the Saudi authorities reportedly cited limited capacity at the holy sites and structural constraints as reasons for rejecting Nigeria’s request.
“Saudi authorities communicated their inability to grant additional slots,” NAHCON said, explaining that the Kingdom was maintaining the approved quotas for participating countries under its existing operational framework.
The decision means Nigerian intending pilgrims seeking to perform Hajj in 2027 will have to compete for the already approved 50,000 slots.
NAHCON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Ismail Yusuf, acknowledged that the development could disappoint intending pilgrims and state authorities that had hoped for an increase.
He said the Commission had exhausted available diplomatic and operational channels in its bid to secure additional slots but had to respect the final position of the Saudi authorities.
Yusuf said the Commission understood the strong desire among Nigerian Muslims to perform Hajj and appreciated the expectations of states and other stakeholders.
“Every effort was made to secure an upward review, but the Saudi authorities have communicated their final position based on operational realities and capacity considerations,” he stated.
The NAHCON chairman has consequently directed state pilgrims’ welfare boards, agencies and licensed tour operators to ensure that the allocations already approved are used transparently and judiciously.
He also warned stakeholders not to miss the September 26, 2026 deadline for uploading the details of prospective pilgrims for the 2027 Hajj.
According to the Commission, there will be no extension of the deadline.
“Kindly note that the deadline for uploading prospective pilgrims’ data remains September 26, 2026,” NAHCON said, urging all state boards, tour operators and other representatives to submit the required information before the deadline.
The Commission also advised Nigerians who could not secure slots for the 2027 pilgrimage to consider registering for the 2028 Hajj.
It said the registration portal for the 2028 pilgrimage had already been opened and applications were being accepted.
NAHCON assured stakeholders that preparations for the 2027 Hajj were continuing, stressing its commitment to transparency, fairness and the welfare of Nigerian pilgrims.
The Commission added that details of the operational guidelines and the rollout of the new business-to-business framework for the 2027 pilgrimage would be communicated through its official channels.
Nigeria’s approved 2027 Hajj quota remains 50,000 pilgrims, with 35,000 slots allocated to government pilgrims and 15,000 reserved for licensed tour operators.
Meanwhile, states are expected to complete payment of all 2027 Hajj fares by December 2, 2026, in line with the arrangements for the pilgrimage.
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