The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has warned that many intending pilgrims may be unable to participate in the 2026 Hajj following the closure of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s registration portal shortly after Nigeria secured an increase in its quota.

In a statement issued on Friday by NAHCON’s Deputy Director of Information and Publications, Fatima Usara, the commission said the development was due to the timing of the approval, which came after Saudi authorities had shut the portal for pilgrims’ data submission.

Saudi Arabia had earlier reduced Nigeria’s Hajj quota from 95,000 to 50,000. However, diplomatic engagements by Nigerian authorities later resulted in an upward review of the allocated slots.

NAHCON explained that the additional allocation was granted very close to the deadline for data submission.

Usara said the commission had, following the initial quota reduction, convened a meeting with state officials and cancelled earlier allocations, adopting a first-come, first-served policy based on confirmed remittances.

“You may wish to recall that following the reduction of Nigeria’s Hajj quota to 50,000, NAHCON convened a meeting with State officials and formally cancelled earlier allocations, adopting a first-come, first-served policy based on confirmed remittances,” she said.

She added that many state boards subsequently secured funding and made payments, after which camp bookings were allocated based on remittances completed by January 2 deadline.

However, a few states, including Kaduna and Niger, later received limited additional allocations through internal adjustments from states that paid excess.

According to NAHCON, it had repeatedly cautioned states and intending pilgrims against late registration, stressing that Saudi authorities would strictly enforce deadlines.

“Although NAHCON sought additional slots later, approval for the additional slots was received after Saudi’s key operational portals had closed,” Usara said.

The commission appealed to affected pilgrims to remain calm and patient, assuring that further updates would be communicated as efforts continue to address the situation.