Hajj Tour Operators Withdraw from 2025 Exercise, Accuse NAHCON of Exploitation, Mismanagement
In a bold and unprecedented move, three leading private Hajj tour operators—Travel Express Ltd (Abuja), An-Noor Air Services and Tours Ltd (Kano), and Positive Trends Travel and Tours Ltd (Kaduna)—have announced their withdrawal from the 2025 Hajj exercise, citing what they describe as “systemic exploitation” and “gross deviation” from the core mandate of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
In a joint statement issued by the Managing Directors of the three companies—Usman A. Ambursa, Haruna Isma’il, and Ikrimah Muhammad—the operators accused NAHCON of transforming from a regulatory body into a revenue-driven entity, levying excessive fees and imposing policies that they claim are stifling private participation in the religious exercise.
According to the statement, the decision to withdraw is a protest against the Commission’s “arbitrary charges, lack of accountability, and opaque operational processes.” The tour operators alleged that NAHCON had collected over N2 billion in various fees from licensed operators in 2024 alone, including N300,000 application fees, N1 million license fees per company, a $150 service charge per pilgrim (later reduced to $100 under pressure), and bank guarantees amounting to N40 million per operator—fees they argue are unjustifiable and exploitative.
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The operators further questioned the legality of charging pilgrims in dollars for services they claim are not rendered. “International pilgrims do not utilize NAHCON camps or medical clinics, yet they are billed exorbitantly,” the statement read. “The Commission cannot even account for what services it provides in return for these charges.”
A central grievance is NAHCON’s alleged attempt to dominate the Umrah business through the controversial GiiL TMS project, which seeks to establish a single gateway for all Umrah operations in Nigeria. The tour operators said the initiative is being championed by a foreign partner and backed by NAHCON officials with vested interests, sidelining licensed private players in the sector.
They also decried the Commission’s handling of the Tent A accommodation service, a premium Hajj package usually reserved for Nigeria’s top dignitaries. “Less than two weeks to the start of pilgrim arrivals, there is still no clear information about the location, cost, or content of the VIP package,” the operators said, warning of a looming crisis.
The statement pointed to a pattern of mismanagement and poor planning, adding that the Commission’s disregard for stakeholders’ input and refusal to provide transparency is detrimental to the integrity of Nigeria’s Hajj operations. “Our dignity as service providers and the welfare of our clients have been undermined consistently,” they said.
Promising to publish further revelations, the tour operators vowed to expose what they described as a “network of insiders” within and outside NAHCON who allegedly manipulate policies for personal and political gain. They urged the federal government to urgently audit the Commission and implement reforms that restore the Commission’s statutory mandate of serving the pilgrims, not exploiting them.
“The time to act is now,” the statement concluded. “Pilgrims deserve a fair, dignified, and accountable Hajj system. We can no longer be silent while the system is hijacked for selfish interests.”
