The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reduced the 95,000 slot given to Nigeria to 66,910, with effect from 2026. Prior to this new development, Nigeria maintained the previous slot for three years.

A statement issued by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), yesterday said the slash was due to the inability of Nigeria to utilise the previous slot during the 2024 and 2025 hajj.

The statement signed by NAHCON’s Deputy Director Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, said this means earlier seat allocation to states will change and be based on the number of pilgrims they ferried for the 2025 hajj.

“The Mashair space reserved for Nigeria’s pilgrims on the NUSUK Masar portal is actually 66,910 slots for the 2026 Hajj. The implication of this is that while 95,000 slots were allocated to Nigeria, the actual number that can participate in the 2026 Hajj is 66,910.

It was revealed that Saudi Arabia reduced Nigeria’s camp slots to this figure on the portal due to underutilization of slots in the previous year.” She stated that the information was disclosed following a meeting between NAHCON and states to discuss Hajj Costing and Other Critical Issues.