The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board has sold out all 3,050 slots allocated to the state for the 2027 Hajj, its Director-General, Abubakar Ibrahim Matawalle, has disclosed.
Matawalle, who spoke in an interview with journalists in Kano, said the development followed sustained appeals to intending pilgrims to pay their fares and complete the necessary documentation.
He, however, said more than 200 pilgrims were on standby, having secured their international passports and made the required payments, to take up any slots that might become vacant.
The director-general warned pilgrims who had paid their fares but were yet to submit their e-passports to do so by September 5, stressing that those who failed to meet the deadline risked losing their slots.
“If anybody does not bring his e-passport, he should forget the fact that he had paid his fare. I will return his money,” Matawalle said.
He explained that the board set the deadline to enable it meet the documentation and visa-processing requirements of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
Matawalle further warned that any unutilised allocation could be withdrawn and reallocated to other states if the required number of pilgrims was not uploaded within the stipulated period.
He said the board was also reviewing its arrangements for the exercise, particularly accommodation, with plans to reduce the number of houses used to accommodate pilgrims from about nine or 10 to just two.
According to him, the arrangement would make it easier to monitor pilgrims and provide essential services, including feeding, medical care and general welfare.
Matawalle said the board was determined to provide better services to Kano pilgrims during the 2027 Hajj, drawing lessons from the challenges encountered during the previous exercise.
He also recalled that Kano successfully secured visas for all its 3,600 pilgrims during the previous Hajj after officials worked round the clock to meet the passport-uploading deadline.
