Ahead of the 2026 Hajj operation, the staff of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has been tasked to unite and commit to offering the best to Nigerian pilgrims engaging in spiritual exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This is what they were told to allow lessons learned from the operational challenges of Hajj 2025 to drive improvements in the next financial year.
NAHCON Chairman and CEO Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman said this on Thursday at the monthly training for staff as part of the commission’s preparations for Hajj 2026 to ensure renewed emphasis on coordination, inter-departmental cooperation and improved service delivery.
Inaugurating the training programme, which focused on Madina operations, which was held at the Hajj House commission headquarters in Abuja, Usman said there was a need for professionalism, accountability and teamwork across all operational units of NAHCON.
While noting that Saudi Arabia continues to introduce new policies and technological reforms, making it essential for NAHCON staff to remain updated and adaptable, the President stated that the expectations of Nigerian pilgrims continue to rise every year.
The NAHCON boss said: “Policies and technologies in Saudi Arabia change every year and the expectations of Nigerian pilgrims continue to rise.
“Therefore, we must ensure that we are fully prepared, better informed and highly coordinated.”
He said the commission had taken notes of areas where it fell short during the 2025 Hajj operation and urged staff to understand some gaps seen in last year’s operations.
“We saw the areas in which we fell short. This year (2026), we must be more disciplined, united and committed to offering the best to our pilgrims,” he added.
Usman, however, urged staff to actively participate in the training and encouraged them to ask questions, share knowledge and support each other, adding that Hajj operations evolve every year, even for officials permanently based in Saudi Arabia.
For his part, the Commissioner for Policy, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar Yagawal, passionately calls for a complaint-free experience for Nigerian pilgrims in Madinah.
He underlined the spiritual weight of any discontent arising in Medina, adding that NAHCON staff should not allow any pilgrim to file complaints against them.
“Please try to resolve your problems, because any complaint against Madina, in my opinion, is a complaint against the Prophet. Therefore, do not allow our pilgrims to make any complaint, whether it is about food, accommodation or visits,” Yagawal admonished the participants.
He further urged the officials to guide the pilgrims from their arrival at Medina airport to the allocation of accommodation and all related activities.
“If a pilgrim feels comfortable in Medina, it is a very good start and he will be smiling all the time. But if he starts with a problem in Medina, the consequences will be very bad,” he added.
The commissioner went on to praise the dedication of the NAHCON teams working tirelessly at Medina Airport, but called for even greater efforts.
He said: “I have seen how our team works tirelessly in Madinah. But please double your efforts to satisfy our pilgrims.”
Also speaking at the event, NAHCON Director of Administration and Human Resources, Alhaji Alidu Shutti, while welcoming the participants to the training programme, reaffirmed the commitment of NAHCON management to strengthen staff capacity ahead of Hajj 2026.
Shutti then encouraged staff to participate fully and hinted that some presentations given during the program would generate questions for the upcoming NAHCON promotion exams.
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