The Nigerian Private Hajj Operators have called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the reopening of camp bookings and housing contracts for Nigerian pilgrims to enable full utilization of the recent extension granted for the uploading of pilgrims’ data.
The operators expressed appreciation for the timely intervention that led to the reopening of the pilgrims’ data capture portal. However, they emphasized that the seven-day extension will not achieve its intended purpose unless the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also reopens the camp booking and housing contract windows for Nigeria.
According to the operators, visa applications cannot be processed without linking camp bookings and accommodation details to pilgrims’ data uploaded on the Nusuk Masar platform. They disclosed that approximately 4,000 state slots and 6,000 private operator slots are currently reflected in Nigeria’s quota on the system but remain inaccessible due to the expiration of the camp booking and housing contract deadlines set by Saudi authorities.
The operators stated that they presently have no access to camp booking and housing contracts, as the earlier timeline provided by the Saudi authorities has elapsed. Consequently, they urged the Federal Government to direct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to formally appeal to the Saudi authorities for the reopening of camp booking and housing contracts, similar to concessions reportedly granted to some other countries.
They stressed that such intervention is necessary to ensure Nigeria fully benefits from the extension window for uploading pilgrims’ data and to safeguard the interests of intending pilgrims.
It will be recalled that Hajj Reporters recently reported that Pakistan secured an extension of its pilgrims’ data upload deadline until 17th February, along with the reopening of camp and housing contracts.
