By Olugbenga Salami
Faith-based civil society organisation, CSO, the Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, has set up a special media team to monitor the 2026 Hajj operations in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
The committee comprises credentialed media professionals from print, online, and broadcast platforms with extensive experience in the Hajj and Umrah industry.
In a statement signed by IHR National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, the organisation said the team has been deployed across departure points and Hajj camps to monitor the conduct of pilgrims and officials.
The team, according to Muhammad would document activities through video and photographs for inclusion in its 2026 Hajj Report, which will be submitted to the Chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf after the exercise.
The committee is chaired by Nasiru Lawal, former Editor of Daily Trust and current Editor‑in‑Chief of Dateline Nigeria, while Soliu Oyesiji will serve as secretary.
Other members include Nuruddeen M. Abdallah, National Secretary of IHR and former Investigative Editor of Daily Trust; Sani Tukur, Director of Media Publications at IHR; Jidda Abubakar Usman, veteran Hajj and broadcast journalist; Suleiman Tola, retired Managing Editor of the News Agency of Nigeria; and Mustapha Hodi, publisher of Bizpoint and an executive member of the organisation.
Also on the team are Hajiya Medina Dauda, veteran media professional, and Maryam Najeem, Administrative Secretary of IHR.
The organisation said the committee’s mandate is to complement NAHCON’s regulatory role by providing policy direction and supervising the Hajj and Umrah industry, adding that the report would assist the commission in shaping the regulatory policy framework for the Hajj ecosystem.
Muhammad said the initiative would support data gathering on operational conduct, which would form part of the post‑Hajj review process and guide recommendations aimed at improving service delivery.
He added that IHR, established in 2013 to monitor and report on Hajj and Umrah activities in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, had activated its monitoring arm to further enhance standards in the Hajj sector.
