The National Coordinator of the #Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), Ibrahim Muhammad, has urged stakeholders in Nigeria’s Hajj industry to begin implementing policies that will unlock the economic potential of the country’s Hajj ecosystem.
Muhammad called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and other stakeholders to think beyond traditional approaches to Hajj administration to cushion the impact of emerging Business-to-Consumer (B2C) policies introduced by Saudi Arabia.
He warned that failure to adapt could expose Nigeria to challenges similar to those experienced by the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) during the 2026 #Hajj operations.
Highlighting global best practices, Muhammad pointed to Indonesia, which has secured Saudi approval for its airlines to utilise return flights by carrying passengers after transporting pilgrims to the Kingdom, thereby reducing operational costs and improving revenue generation.
While commending #NAHCON for introducing ambitious digitalisation initiatives, he proposed the development of a unified central pilgrims’ registration platform to eliminate delays in Hajj fare payments and improve planning.
Muhammad also drew attention to Pakistan’s recently introduced four-year Hajj registration policy, noting that the programme attracted more than 350,000 registrations within its first week. He urged Nigerian authorities to study such innovative models to strengthen long-term planning and improve the sustainability of the country’s Hajj operations.
