National Hajj Commission of Nigeria
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2006 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Jurisdiction | Federal Government of Nigeria |
| Headquarters | Abuja, Nigeria |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent department | Presidency |
| Website | nahcon.gov.ng |
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) is a government agency responsible for managing Hajj operations for Nigerian Muslim pilgrims formed in 2006.[1]
History
The Nigerian government's official involvement in Hajj operations began in 1953, when Alhaji Abubakar Imam moved a motion in the Northern House of Assembly calling for the creation of a Nigerian pilgrims’ office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to assist Nigerian pilgrims facing hardship abroad. As pilgrim numbers increased in the 1960s and 1970s, various regional Pilgrims Welfare Boards were established. In order to centralize and professionalize Hajj operations, the Federal Government established the Nigerian Pilgrims Board in 1975 via Decree No. 16. This was later replaced in 1989 by the Nigerian Pilgrims Commission, which was dissolved in 1991 after a tragic airline crash in Jiddah that killed 247 Nigerian pilgrims and 14 crew members on board.[2][3] The failure of temporary structures like task forces, and the Saudi government's ban on Nigerian pilgrims in 1996, further underscored the need for a permanent, professional institution.[4]
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) was established in 2006 by an Act of the National Assembly the NAHCON (Establishment) Act, 2006 to oversee, regulate, and coordinate Hajj and Umrah activities in Nigeria. It was created in response to decades of administrative instability in Hajj operations, including multiple institutional failures such as the Nigerian Pilgrims Board, the Nigerian Pilgrims Commission, and the Directorate of Pilgrims Affairs.[5][6][7][8] NAHCON officially began operations in 2007, with its first chairman, Muhammad Musa Bello, later appointed as Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Since then, the Commission has served as the federal regulatory body responsible for:
- Coordinating state pilgrims welfare boards
- Supervising Hajj logistics, including airlift and accommodation
- Ensuring compliance with Saudi Arabian Hajj regulations
- Managing pilgrim welfare and registration
NAHCON Chairmen
| No. | Name | Tenure | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muhammad Musa Bello | 2006 – 2015 | Pioneer chairman; later became Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).[9] |
| 2 | Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad | 2015 – 2019 | Former Executive Secretary, Kaduna State Pilgrims Board. |
| 3 | Zikrullah Kunle Hassan | 2019 – 2023 | First Southern Muslim to lead NAHCON; confirmed in January 2020.[10] |
| 4 | Jalal Ahmad Arabi | 2023 – 2024 (Acting) | Oversaw the 2024 Hajj as Acting Chairman. |
| 5 | Prof. Saleh Abdullahi Usman[11] | 2024 – Present | Current Chairman; confirmed by the Senate in October 2024.[12] |
References
- ^ "NAHCON Act and Establishment". Vanguard Nigeria. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "261 Die as a Flight for Muslim Pilgrims Crashes Near Jidda". New York Times. 12 July 1991. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "261 feared dead in Saudi plane crash". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. July 11, 1991. p. 1. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "THE NAHCON ACT – National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (2006)" (PDF). NAHCON. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) (Establishment) Act, 2006". LAW Nigeria. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Hajj Made Easy at 10". Blueprint Newspapers. 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "NAHCON and the Indelible Legacy of Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad". Daily Times Nigeria. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "NAHCON: Beyond Organizing Hajj". Vanguard Nigeria. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Muhammad Musa Bello's tenure as NAHCON Chairman and appointment as FCT Minister". Explore Abuja. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Zikrullah Kunle Hassan appointed as NAHCON Chairman". Muslim News Nigeria. 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Yadda Tinubu ya naɗa Abdullahi Pakistan a matsayin sabon shugaban NAHCON". BBC Hausa (in Hausa). 19 August 2024.
- ^ Adewale, Murtala (10 October 2024). "Senate confirms Saleh as NAHCON chairman". guardian.ng. Retrieved 28 June 2025.