Some Private Hajj Companies licensed by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) have withdrawn from participating in the 2025 Hajj operations and have returned their allocated Hajj slots to the commission.
Positive Trend Travels and Tours Limited and Travels Express had written to NAHCON announcing their formal withdrawal from the 2025 Hajj Operations.
The two companies in separate letters addressed to the NAHCON Chairman state the reason for their withdrawal and return of hajj seat allocation.
Positive Trend Travels and Tour Limited in its letter dated March 8, signed by its Managing Director/ CEO Ikramat Muhammed said “After careful review of the preparations for 2025 Hajj, we decided to withdraw from further participation in the exercise, thereby returning our 150 slots allocations”.
The letter sighted by Hajj Reporters hinged its decision on the refusal of NAHCON to honour the contract it earlier signed on behalf of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) with Ithraa Al Aljoud. It said the action has forced most of their members to accept the commission’s preferred option against their will.
In the same vein, Travel Express announced its withdrawal from 2025 Hajj citing a similar concern.
The company, in a letter dated 12th March 2025 and submitted to NAHCON on 13th March, titled” Notification on our withdrawal from Hajj 2025 and return of our allocated slots said “We wish to notify the Commission of our withdrawal from the 2025 hajj exercise and consequently return the slot allocated to our Company”.
Travel Express also cited the Commission’s refusal to honour its contract earlier signed with “our association’s preferred service providers, Ithraa Al Joud which forced our members to accept NAHCON’s option against their will”.
The letter was signed by its MD/CEO Usman Ambursa.
The letters also allege “favoritism in the choice of lead companies as the reason for their withdrawal.
The two companies also requested the release of a Bank Guarantee of N40 million paid to the Commission for the 2025 hajj exercise.
NAHCON had earlier denied any favouritism or discrimination in the selection of the 10 lead companies for the 2025 Hajj operations.
Hajj Reporters reports that NAHCON had requested that “any private Tour Operators who has complaints on the choice of lead companies to forward same within the specified period”
However, we could not ascertain whether the two companies submitted their complaints before withdrawing from the 2025 Hajj.
