Nigeria is notably absent from the list of 75 countries that signed the 2026 Hajj agreements with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
This is coming when President Bola Tinubu is yet to receive (as at 28 November) the 2025 Hajj Report from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), almost six months after the operation — further fueling disquiet in the Hajj ecosystem.
The plummeting rating of Nigeria was vividly captured in an official publication released by the kingdom’s Hajj ministry on its verified Facebook pages.
On 20 November 2025, the ministry posted on its verified Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DGSN2V2z5/?mibextid=wwXIfr), stating: “Ahead of Hajj 1447 AH, #HajjConfEx brought together countries from around the world, resulting in 75 agreements with Hajj Affairs Offices — a major step towards enhancing services and elevating the journey of the Guests of Allah.”
The Hajj ministry also reposted the same information on 23 November 2025, on its Hausa verified Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=817217694450367&set=a.167384432767033)
The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah attached an infographic to the post, with the title: “75 agreements signed for the Hajj Season 1447 AH.”
The infographic showed a gallery of pictures of representatives from 72 of the 75 countries signing the 2026 Hajj agreements with the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.
Only Nigeria and two other countries were visibly missing from the photo gallery.
This newspaper observes that all the 72 countries signed their 2026 Hajj agreements in the presence of the Saudi Hajj and Umrah minister as evidenced in the official Saudi photo gallery.
Nigeria’s Hajj agreement for 2026 was signed by Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NAHCON, in the presence of the Saudi Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Abdulfatah Mashat.
The agreement was signed on Sunday, 9 November 2025, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to a handout photo published by the NAHCON’s media office. This is the second time Mr Pakistan was signing the Hajj agreement in the absence of the substantive Saudi Hajj minister
In 2024, under Mr Ahmad Jalal Arabi, the Hajj agreement was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Al-Rabiah.
The situation changed in 2025 when Mr Pakistan emerged as Nigeria’s top Hajj chief, due to the reported frolicking with various Saudi service providers after his appointment even before meeting the Hajj ministry or the Nigerian consulate, thereby exposing his leadership and administrative skills.
The 2026 Hajj agreement was signed by Mr Pakistan and the Saudi deputy minister, which critics see as an indirect diplomatic downgrade.
Further findings by this newspaper have revealed that Nigeria’s rating in Saudi Arabia used to be high some years back. From 2014 to 2019, Nigeria was rated by the kingdom among the three best Hajj countries—with the two others being Indonesia and Turkiye.
During the first, second, and third boards of the Hajj commission, Nigeria received the best ratings and was treated with a royal protocol during the MOU signing—principally because of the multi-faceted reforms introduced and implemented by the then NAHCON leadership; and the respect and confidence the Saudis had on the them.
With the coming of Barr. Zikirullah Kunle Hasan, those achievements recorded by his predecessors began to fade into obscurity, insiders said, but only to get worse under Mr Pakistan – an Arabic language teacher with zero antecedents in administration and logistics.
Aside from the steep decline in Nigeria’s rating this year, another negative trend is the reduction of the country’s 2026 Hajj quota to 50,000 from the original 95,000, thereby removing Nigeria from its longstanding position as the fifth-largest Hajj country globally for the first time.
According to NAHCON’s spokesperson, Fatima Usara, the quota was initially reduced to 66,910 about a month ago.
As of this report’s publication, no official reason has been provided for the sudden reduction of Nigeria’s Hajj quota to 50,000.
NAHCON has set December 5, 2025, as the final deadline for Hajj fare payments, with insiders fearing that the nationwide registration figures are not encouraging. The national and sub-national governments have defied calls, notably by Hajj-based NGOs to step in and spur the registration drive by subsidizing the fares.
Nigeria’s average 2026 Hajj fare for state quota pilgrims was earlier fixed at N8.5 million per seat, but President Tinubu forced the Hajj commission to trim it down to an average of N7.8 million after newspapers’ investigations uncovered and exposed that the fares were padded by the NAHCON’s use of N1,550/$1 exchange rate at a time the CBN official rate was N1,455/$1, which could have translated to shortchanging the estimated 66,910 pilgrims over N33.3 billion.
Stakeholders blame the downgrade and Nigeria’s treatment by the Saudis on what they alleged as poor, ineffective, and lack of confidence in leadership of Professor Pakistan.
In 2025, Nigeria didn’t meet its approved quota, and NAHCON couldn’t obtain visas for 2,717 registered pilgrims, despite three extensions granted by the Saudi authorities, according to a statement released by its spokesperson, Fatima Usara, then. This, observers say, may be linked to the kingdom’s current treatment of Nigeria.
Other factors were the challenges that marred the 2025 Hajj operation, overseen by Mr Pakistan, which forced the Saudi Hajj ministry to establish a special committee to monitor the Nigerian Hajj operation. Some of the reported challenges include the mismanagement of the Saudi NUSUK digital platform, payment for 14,000 unregistered pilgrims for Masha’ir services leading to the loss of N23 billion, absence of clinics in Madinah and delay in Makkah, failure to pay Saudi accommodation providers and caterers in time, and mismanagement of Madinah bed spaces.
Others are losing traditional Tent A in Mina for the first time in decades, losing over N8 billion to controversial contingency bed spaces in Makkah, withholding of Hajj airlines funds, stakeholder officials protest in Makkah over BTA cuts, unfavorable reports on 2025 Hajj by the ICPC, EFCC, DSS, NFIU, ONSA, NIA, DMI, DIA, OAGF, and several diplomatic complaints on the entire operation, investigation of NAHCON chairman by Saudi Nazaha, and Ri’āsat Al-Istikhbārāt Al-‘Āmah, among others.
Back home, the Office of the Vice President had to stepped up its supervisory role ante to prevent the 2025 Hajj operation from becoming another unprecedented catastrophe.
To further complicate matters, this newspaper gathered from sources at the Office of the President that they haven’t received the 2025 Hajj report from NAHCON yet more than six months after the Hajj operation.
Other sources at the Office of the Vice President confirmed to our reporters that Mr Pakistan had submitted a report over five months after the operation, but the office could not process it because “the report was riddled with financial discrepancies and incomplete operational information. In fact, the report has fallen short of the usual Hajj template.” The Hajj commission was queried by the Vice President Office over the recurring financial flip-flops and fragmentary report, insiders said.
The Nigerian Hajj commission faces multiple allegations of corruption, leading to the arrest and questioning of top officials, including Mr Pakistan, by the country’s famous anti-graft agency, the EFCC.
When contacted, the Technical Assistant (Media) to NAHCON chairman, Mr Ahmad Mu’azu, said the 2025 Hajj report he has seen was up-to-date. “As far as I know, the 2025 Hajj report I have seen has no such problems you mentioned.”
On why the Saudi authorities cut down the Nigeria’s pilgrim qouta to 50,000, the technical assistant said the Hajj quota is now based on remittances. “If our remittances improve before the 24 December deadline, they may increase the quota if the need arises,” he said.
On why Nigeria was missing in the Saudi Hajj ministry photo gallery, Mr Mu’azu said, “The (Saudi) minister signs with his counterpart ministers. If the country’s minister is not present, then the deputy signs on his behalf. Nigerian minister of foreign affairs was not present, that is why Nigeria is missing.”
