2025 hajj: NAHCON advance team leaves for Saudi today

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has stated that the delay in travelling of its advance team for the 2025 hajj is due to some changes introduced to improve operational efficiency. A statement by the commission, which revealed that it is on course to facilitate seamless hajj for the year added that officials would […]

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has stated that the delay in travelling of its advance team for the 2025 hajj is due to some changes introduced to improve operational efficiency.

A statement by the commission, which revealed that it is on course to facilitate seamless hajj for the year added that officials would travel today (Monday), four days to the commencement of hajj airlift.

It said this is a strategic decision without fear of lateness.

Daily Trust reports that the commission’s chairman,  Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, had earlier said the advance, which comprises of critical staff like medical tram and operational staff, would leave Nigeria on April 30.

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The staffs are crucial in receiving intending pilgrims at airports and facilitating  their movement to hotels among other functions.

The statement also touched on claims that it engaged in racketeering, nepotism and procedural breaches in the selection of ad hoc staff for the 2025 Hajj operations.

It stated that the ongoing selection process for the National Medical Team (NMT) is being coordinated by a steering committee whose principal officers are drawn from the professional field outside NAHCON.

It noted that the chairman inaugurated the committee headed by the NAHCON Commissioner, Planning Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar Yagawal, with overseeing spooling and selection of applicants based on laid down criteria.

On staff deployment for the offshore operations, the statement clarified that staff selection was based on a variety of factors including office attendance, role relevance, past performance, disciplinary record, and operational needs—not just seniority or years of service in the Commission.

However, in exceptional cases, competence and availability were prioritized in the overall interest of the operation.

While stating that the 2025 Hajj operation is on course, it said NAHCON will not be distracted from its mandate to serve the Nigerian pilgrims with excellence, integrity, and fear of Allah.

Meanwhile, the commission’s Commissioner for Policy, Personnel, and Finance (PPMF), Aliyu Abdulrazaq, has denied claims that he is favouring staff from the South-South region in the selection process for the 2025 Hajj operation.

A report had claimed that NAHCON is currently facing allegations of racketeering and unscrupulous practices in its selection process for ad hoc staff for the 2025 Hajj operation.

But responding to the claims, Abdulrazaq, who hails from Edo State in a statement, denied the allegations, describing them as baseless.

He clarified that the NAHCON’s workforce, which totals 420 staff members, includes fewer than 10 staff from the South-South, representing less than one of the total personnel.

He said he remains the most transparent in the selection process.