Hajj 2017: Saudi Arabia restores Nigeria’s 95,000 quota

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said Nigeria’s allocation for the 2017 Hajj has been restored to 95,000 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Arabia authority recently announced the lifting of the 20 percent restriction on all pilgrims worldwide due to renovation and expansion works at the holy sites in the Kingdom.

Nigeria’s quota until 2012 was 95,000 and was slashed to 76,000.

The Chief Information Officer of the commission, Mousa Ubandawaki, in a statement yesterday quoted the Saudi Minister of Hajj, Dr. Muhammad Saleh Benten as saying this after a meeting with her Nigerian counterpart, Khadija Bukar Ibrahim recently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

While Dr. Benten led the Saudi team, Hajia Ibrahim led the Nigerian delegation, assisted by NAHCON chairman, Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad and the Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Capt. Mukhtar Usman.

“New policies were announced by the Saudi authority, some of which include an upgrade of services and buses to be used during movements around Makkah, Mina and Arafat, introduction of shuttle bus service between Mina and Makkah between the 10th and 13th of Dhul Hajj and introduction of new standards for pilgrims’ accommodation,” the statement said.

Arrangements for the 2017 Hajj have been made with respective agencies that would see Nigerian pilgrims enjoying VIP buses with tracking capabilities for all inter-city transportation including Mina and Arafat.

Also, the contingent is guaranteed staying at the high-brow area in Madina popularly referred to as Markaziyya, a coordinated hadaya payment and management system and improved training of Hajj Managers.