The Forum of Chief Executives of State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards has urged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to expedite the reconciliation of the 2025 Hajj accounts before fully rolling out preparations for the 2026 exercise.
In a letter signed by its Chairman, Ahmed Idris Al-Makura, and Secretary, Abubakar Salihu, the Forum acknowledged NAHCON’s commitment to carrying states along but expressed concern over delays in refunding pilgrims and settling other dues.
The executives argued that many pilgrims have had funds tied up for over two years, making it difficult to transition deferred participants into the 2026 Hajj platform.
“However, we wish to express our concern over the inaction of the Commission in concluding the reconciliations of the 2025 Hajj operations, particularly the payment of refunds and other dues to the States.
The exercise ought to have been concluded to enable the States to seamlessly migrate the willing deferred intending pilgrims into the 2026 Hajj platforms. Without this, such migrations practically remain impossible, as some of the affected pilgrims have had their money tied up to two years or more. Moreover, the refunds will enable states to settle those who opted out of deferment and require their funds for other personal use,” The letter stated.
“It may not be wise to open the books for 2026 without first closing the accounts for 2025. Doing so could result in account overlaps, confusion, and reconciliation difficulties,” the Forum warned.
They appealed to NAHCON to urgently conclude the refund and settlement process to strengthen states’ capacity to comply with the 2026 Hajj guidelines.
