Maryam Aminu
Three leading Hajj tour operators have formally announced their withdrawal from participating in the 2025 Hajj operations, citing systemic corruption, lack of transparency, and disregard for the rights of Nigerian pilgrims by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
In a strongly worded joint statement released by Positive Trends Travel and Tours Ltd (Kaduna), Travel Express Ltd (Abuja), and An-Noor Air Services and Tours Ltd (Kano), the companies accused NAHCON of monopolizing service contracts, denying licensed operators the right to negotiate on behalf of their clients, and fostering an environment where pilgrim welfare is consistently compromised.
The CEOs, all veterans of the Hajj and Umrah industry with over 90 years of combined experience, said their decision was made in protest against entrenched self-interest within the Commission. “We have devoted our lives to the service of pilgrims, and this action is not one of abandonment but of protest,” said Ikramah Muhammad, CEO of Positive Trends and Deputy President (Hajj Affairs) of the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON).
According to the statement, previous efforts to reform the service delivery system including requests for tour operators to independently select and negotiate with Hajj service providers were ignored or met with hostility.
The tour operators explained that their grievances date back to the tenure of former NAHCON Chairman Barr. Zikrullahi Kunle Hassan, who had agreed in principle to reforms following the poor 2023 Hajj experience. However, subsequent administrations, including the current board led by Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, have allegedly reversed any progress made, pushing for full central control over service negotiations.
“The current NAHCON board has taken a Machiavellian approach bent on silencing dissenting voices and weakening AHUON,” said Haruna Isma’il, Vice President (Kano zone), who co-signed the release.
The operators outlined several issues plaguing Hajj operations in Nigeria:
Lack of transparency in cost breakdowns for services such as accommodation, transportation, and catering in Saudi Arabia.
Conflict of interest, with NAHCON allegedly profiting from unaccounted negotiations while passing inflated or deflated costs to pilgrims.
Systematic exclusion of tour operators from key decisions, despite being the direct service providers to thousands of pilgrims.
They also claimed that service providers offer inducements to NAHCON officials including cash, hotel stays, and gifts in a bid to win contracts, further compromising the integrity of the system.
Citing the administration’s commitment to free-market reforms, the operators called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and restructure NAHCON’s role.
“We urge the government to separate regulation from operation. NAHCON should serve as a watchdog, not a service vendor,” said Ambursa A. Usman, Vice President (Abuja zone) of AHUON.
They described the current system as a failed project, warning that continued suppression of industry stakeholders will only perpetuate hardship for Nigerian pilgrims.
The operators announced that this was the first in a three-part series aimed at exposing the financial and operational flaws within NAHCON. Future statements, they said, will provide detailed financial analyses of Hajj costs and expose the “recklessness” behind inflated charges borne by pilgrims.
“As businessmen of integrity, we are ready to stake our reputations to demand justice for pilgrims and reform for the industry,” the statement concluded.
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