Hajj: No going back on March 2018 payment deadline – NAHCON

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said there will be no extension of the March 2018 payment deadlines for intending pilgrims for next year’s hajj exercise. The Chairman of the commission Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday during a meeting with the new leadership of the Association of Hajj and […]

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said there will be no extension of the March 2018 payment deadlines for intending pilgrims for next year’s hajj exercise.

The Chairman of the commission Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday during a meeting with the new leadership of the Association of Hajj and Ummrah Operators in Nigeria (AHUON).

According to him, the calendar year for the 2018 hajj will be strictly followed to allow for proper planning especially as it relates to the intending pilgrims’ welfare and comfort in Saudi Arabia.

He said the Saudi Arabia Government would in May 2018 formally closes registration portal and that since Islam is a religion that follow proper planning, the pilgrims should attach more importance to religious travelling the way they plan for leisure or vocational journeys.

“For those who want to perform the 2018 hajj, my advice to them is they should complete their registration on or before the end of March 2018. The calendar of event has changed, and we must work in tandem with what Saudi (Arabia) authorities have put on ground. The 2018 hajj portal will close in May 2018.

“And I want to implore our people to key into this by completing their registration on or before March 31, 2018 for proper planning and documentation because Islam as a religion attaches more importance to planning. The registration deadline will not be extended. The calendar of events for the 2018 hajj will not be altered because it is very clear. Hajj operations must be regulated in such a way that it should be handled by professionals,” Muhammad said.

Speaking earlier the outgoing AHUON President Alhaji Abdulfattah Abdulmajeed and the newly-elected President Alhaji Salihu Butu commended NAHCON’s leadership for their support and urged the commission to help them in operational areas in the interest of their intending pilgrims.