Soliu Oyesiji.
The Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj and Umrah has disclosed that Nigeria recorded about 89,000 Umrah pilgrims in 2025, underscoring the country’s growing participation in pilgrimage activities and the expanding scale of Hajj and Umrah operations.
Speaking during a high-level engagement with Nigerian officials in Abuja, the minister said that 92 percent of Nigerian Umrah pilgrims in 2025 arrived on Umrah visas, reflecting improved visa processing and travel coordination between both countries.
He further revealed that approximately 420 direct flights operated between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia within the same period, highlighting the increasing demand for pilgrimage travel and the rising volume of airlift operations from Nigeria to the Kingdom.
The Saudi minister noted that the figures demonstrate Nigeria’s strategic importance in global pilgrimage operations and reaffirm the need for stronger institutional cooperation to ensure efficient service delivery for pilgrims.
According to him, Saudi Arabia is keen on building on the positive trend through enhanced coordination with Nigerian authorities ahead of subsequent Hajj seasons.
Nigerian officials welcomed the data as evidence of deepening bilateral relations and growing opportunities for operational and economic collaboration in the Hajj and Umrah sector.
