*Photo: Mallam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, NAHCON Chairman *
By Fatima Sanda Usara
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has approved a total of 110 (one hundred and ten) Private Tour Operators’ Companies for the issuance of 2024 Hajj licenses and slots allocation.
The development resulted from the thorough screening of the respective companies after meeting the requirements for the next year’s Hajj license. Part of documents required for eligibility include certificate of registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, IATA (International Air Transport Association) certificate, IATA accredited staff and principal officers with no record of criminal conviction, presentation of evidence of owning N30,000,000 (thirty million Naira) minimum share capital, possession of standard corporate office, evidence of having operated eight years of Umrah successfully or two years of Hajj operations. A N25,000,000 (Twenty-five million Naira) refundable security deposit must also be submitted. Purpose of this is to protect the interest of the registered pilgrims in case of contract violation or other infringements.
The public is invited to recall that advertisement in major Nigerian newspapers inviting interested companies to submit applications for 2024 Hajj license was made on 29th September 2023. A total of 155 companies applied. Out of this number, 58 companies were initially successful while 97 companies were disqualified but given room for appeal. 80 companies appealed and out of this number 52 companies met the criteria for qualification making a total of 110 private operator companies that resultantly qualified.
For the full list, please go to the NAHCON website on https://nahcon.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/COMPANIES-APPROVED-FOR-2024-HAJJ-SLOT.pdf.
Kindly note that the Commission is holding further discussions with Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah over the Ministry’s earlier policy to prune down number of Tour Operators that will participate in the 2024 Hajj operation from Nigeria and other parts of the world.
*Fatima Sanda Usara,
Assistant Director,
NAHCON
