The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board says the state is fully set for the 2026 Hajj exercise despite a reduction in Nigeria’s overall allocation by Saudi Arabia, with 3,050 slots assigned to the state.
Director-General of the board, Alhaji Abubakar Matawalle, disclosed this during an interaction with Journalists on Monday in Kano.
He said intending pilgrims who have paid for the 2026 Hajj but are yet to submit their e-passports have until September 5 to do so, or risk losing their slots.
“Pilgrims who fail to meet the deadline will have their fares refunded while their slots will be allocated to those on the waiting list,” Matawalle warned.
According to him, the board currently has more than 200 pilgrims on standby with passports and other required documents, including cheques valued at over N7.6 million, ready to take up any available slots.
He explained that the deadline is necessary to enable Kano meet the timeline set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON. “Any unutilised allocation after September 10 could be withdrawn by the commission and given to other states,” he added.
Matawalle attributed the reduction to Saudi Arabia’s decision to cut Nigeria’s overall allocation after the country reportedly utilised only about 50,000 of its 90,000 slots in the previous operation. As a result, Kano’s allocation for 2026 has been pegged at 3,050 pilgrims.
The DG said preparations for 2026 are being made against the backdrop of challenges inherited from the last exercise, noting that he assumed office when about 80 per cent of arrangements had already been concluded.
