By FATIMA SANDA USARA

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) held a meeting with Licensed Private Tour Operators LPTOs, Thursday night, January 17, 2025 in Saudi Arabia.

The discussions were to give and receive updates on preparations for the 2025 Hajj operations.

In his opening remarks, Professor Abdullah Saleh Usman called for discussions that will focus on promoting understanding towards improving service delivery for Nigerian private pilgrims.

He enjoined all members at the meeting to remember why all members are in Saudi Arabia for the sake of intending pilgrims. He welcomed observations, questions, suggestions and constructive criticisms.

It was disclosed at the meeting that 14th February 2025 is the deadline for remittance of Hajj fare into the Tour Operators’ IBAN accounts in order to meet up with visa issuance which would begin by 19th February 2025.

Similarly, it was resolved that LPTOs are free to affiliate with any of the 10 leading companies across the zones except where the lead company had reached the 2,000 pilgrims limit. Hence the 10 lead companies remain unchanged.

NAHCON and the LPTOs reaffirmed their commitment to adhere to their common interest which is providing best services for pilgrims while maintaining inclusivity in the process. Both parties expressed need to accommodate one another for a seamless Hajj exercise to be achieved.

•Sanda writes from NAHCON.