The Chairman and CEO of Raudah Travel and Tours, Alhaji Abdulhadi, has identified poor adherence to Nusuk platform guidelines on pilgrim grouping as the main reason behind Nigeria’s low compliance ratio in Umrah operations.
The Raudah Travel Boss said his recent meeting with a Saudi-based service provider reveals that Nigeria’s compliance rate is below 50 percent
Currently, Nigeria’s compliance rate under the Nusuk system stands at just 28 per cent — the lowest among the top 10 countries performing Hajj and Umrah. In contrast, countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, and Malaysia report compliance levels of 80 to 85 percent.
In an interview with Hajj Reporters, Abdulhadi explained that under Saudi Arabia’s new regulations, Umrah pilgrims must be grouped in sets of 50, travelling together on the same flight and arriving in the Kingdom as a unit. Deviation from this format automatically affects Nigeria’s standing on the Nusuk portal.
“If a tour operator registers 50 pilgrims as a group but then splits them across multiple airlines — say, 20 on Qatar Airways, 15 on Saudi Airlines, and 15 on Ethiopian Airlines — that group is considered non-compliant under Nusuk,” Abdulhadi said.
He warned that continued violations may impact Nigeria’s visa allocation in future Umrah seasons, particularly if operators’ compliance ratios drop below the 10 percent mark.
Abdulhadi urged Nigerian operators to seek timely updates and guidance from credible sources within Saudi Arabia and suggested that smaller groupings be treated as independent units under the system to maintain compliance.
“10 to 15 or 20 pilgrims can be grouped to travel on the same flight, which implies they can be treated as one group under the Nusuk platform
“There’s a need to properly educate operators. Staying informed and following official guidelines is the only way to avoid penalties and maintain our credibility,” he added.
