By Olugbenga Salami
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima has endorsed the Saudi Arabia’s planned migration to a business-to-business, B2B model for Hajj operations, as the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, begins preparations to cede most operations to private tour operators.
He stated this on Wednesday in Abuja when he received the Board and management of NAHCON, and representatives of State Pilgrims Welfare Boards on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President who on Media center and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the delegation briefed the number two citizen on the outcome of the just concluded 2026 Hajj exercise and projections for future operations.
Senator Shettima commended NAHCON, the State Pilgrims Welfare Boards and other stakeholders for what he described as an “almost seamless” handling of the 2026 pilgrimage.
He congratulated the team on the performance and said the 2026 exercise should serve as the benchmark going forward.
According to him, authorities must now work toward a more sustainable model that guarantees a 100 percent hitch-free pilgrimage for Nigerian Muslims.
Earlier, NAHCON Chairman, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, presented a summary report of the 2026 Hajj to the Vice President.
Yusuf also informed Shettima of the decision by Saudi authorities to migrate to a B2B model in pursuit of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
He explained that under the new arrangement, the Saudi government will cede the handling of 98% of pilgrims to private tour operators.
Hajj Commissions across the world, including NAHCON, will maintain regulatory roles while operational aspects are transferred to the private sector.
The NAHCON Chairman assured that the commission remains fully committed to delivering on the new mandate, noting that plans are already in motion to actualize the objective in Nigeria.
