Nigeria is facing accommodation difficulties in Mecca, Saudi Arabia due to housing details for pilgrims who failed to enter the Saudi electronic Nusuk platform under state quota.
The country’s report shows that officials from the National Pilgrimage Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the State Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Commission (SMPWB) are now scrambling to secure alternative accommodation in other countries, but have lost premiums due to premiums for other countries.
Many of these states, especially from many states in the northwest, northeast, north-central and south, have been displaced from high-quality hotels for many years.
Ensuring accommodation is a prerequisite for obtaining a North Korean visa through the Nusuk platform.
According to sources in Saudi Arabia at the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the situation may have caused Nigerian pilgrims to disappear this year’s North Korean j, but Saudi authorities extended the accommodation deadline by ten days.
“Fortunately, Saudi ministries in North Korea and Umrah have extended their accommodation deadlines from March 25 to April 4,” said Saudi Arabia’s official.
To meet the new deadline, Nigerian officials must urgently protect new accommodation and upload details to the platform.
Failure to do so means that pilgrims from affected countries will not be able to obtain visas, so the 2025 pilgrimage was missed.
Accusation of mismanagement
Many stakeholders blame Nachburg on the accommodation crisis. The findings show that despite Nahcon’s initial publicity and shortlisted accommodation providers, the committee failed to make the required advance payments to secure these reservations.
This allows other countries to take over previously booked accommodation.
A NAHCON staff member revealed that states did not realize they had lost their accommodation until the March 25 deadline. “The Nahcon ICT team only realizes that most booked homes are no longer available, leading to a last-minute battleStaff explained.
As a result, states will now secure any accommodation left, regardless of location, quality of service or price.
“Now, the Pilgrim board is evacuating the homes of Nahcon’s unaccredited service providers just to meet with the new deadline. No one talks about quality or standards anymore. Now the keyword is usability,” said a Nach official.
It also appears Nahcon launches a new list of home providers that have not been recognized before.
The committee sets a unified benchmark for each pilgrim bed space SR3,000, a move that some insiders criticize is morally questionable, as accommodation prices are often dependent on proximity to the Bible and quality of service.
Over time, some states have resorted to bookings with accommodations well below SR3,000, fearing that they will not be able to obtain any accommodation, meaning their pilgrims are unable to attend Hajj.
“I don’t have any choice now. I just need the pilgrim’s house. My pilgrims would not come to 2025 for j without ensuring the hotel for them. That’s our dilemma. No one is talking about quality. We are concerned with usability.“The board of directors of the Southwest Pilgrims lamented.
Some NAHCON officials have also been accused of using the crisis to exploit it, thus having the opportunity to profit from desperate state officials.
“Accommodation agents are in the field, taking advantage of the despair of Nigerian state officials. Some well-connected NAHCON employees also use it as a channel for siphon funding,” an insider allegedly.
The possible rebound of the pilgrim
There are growing concerns that Nigerian pilgrims may protest accommodation arrangements upon arrival in Mecca, given that the lower standards of accommodation were secured at the last minute.
“Mecca accommodation is the core of the dying j, as the pilgrims spend more than 80% of their time there,Commission officials warned.
The charges also surfaced, Chairman Nahkon, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usmanuse all available funds to pay for two Masha’ir service providers, rather than ensuring accommodation.
Although Nigeria only booked 52,000 pilgrims, he provided full payments to Mashariq Aldhahabiah for 35,000 pilgrims and Ekram Aldyf and paid for 25,000 pilgrims, the report said.
Observers question why Nahcon paid 60,000 pilgrims when the official quota was low.
Meanwhile, the chairman is currently in Saudi Arabia with about 50 employees, although critics claim they have no clear role in solving the crisis.
Some insiders claim that some staff are manipulating the situation for personal gain. “This is a rat. Everyone is cleaning up the bodies to have a feast.An official charged.
Nahcon’s response
In a statement Sunday, Professor Usman dismissed concerns about any upcoming crisis and promised a smooth 2025 preparation.
He called for working with all stakeholders, stressing that he has been interacting with key players, including travel agencies, Saudi service providers, state pilgrims’ boards and health officials to ensure seamless operations.
