The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board says it has introduced major operational changes ahead of the 2027 Hajj to address accommodation, medical screening, airlift and pilgrims’ identification challenges recorded during previous exercises.
Abubakar Matawalle, Director General of the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, said the Board would also replace pilgrims who fail to submit their electronic passports within the stipulated deadline, warning that payment of Hajj fare alone would not guarantee participation.
Matawalle said the state had received an allocation of 3,050 pilgrims for the forthcoming exercise and that all available slots had already been exhausted.
He said more than 200 intending pilgrims were on standby with their passports and evidence of payment, making it necessary for the board to enforce its documentation deadline.
According to him, pilgrims who had paid their fares but failed to submit their e-passports by September 5 would have their payments refunded and their slots allocated to those on the waiting list.
He added that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) had directed states to exhaust their allocations by September 10, after which unutilised slots could be reallocated to states with additional demand.
Matawalle explained that his administration inherited a difficult situation when he assumed office, with only limited time to complete critical Hajj preparations, including visa processing, sensitisation and other documentation.
He said the board nevertheless succeeded in uploading the passports of all 3,600 Kano pilgrims within the deadline set by Saudi Arabian authorities during the previous exercise.
The board’s head said the experience had enabled the management to identify weaknesses in the previous arrangements and develop measures to prevent a recurrence.
One of the major changes, he said, would be a reduction in the number of accommodation facilities allocated to Kano pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
Rather than spread about 3,000 pilgrims across nine or 10 houses, Matawalle said the board planned to concentrate them in two houses to improve supervision, feeding, medical care and general welfare.
He said the previous arrangement made it difficult for the board’s leadership to effectively monitor pilgrims because officials had to move between several accommodation facilities.
“We want to ensure that pilgrims have a very good and decent reception and comfortable accommodation where they can perform their religious rites without distress,” he said.
Matawalle also disclosed that the board was working with the airline involved in the exercise to ensure Kano pilgrims were not among the last groups to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia.
He said the board had secured a commitment to improve the state’s position in the airlift sequence, stressing that Kano would not accept a repeat of the late departure experienced during the previous Hajj.
Another major concern being addressed, he said, was the Nusuk identification system, which is required for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
Matawalle said delays in the distribution of Nusuk cards previously left some Kano pilgrims stranded in buses for extended periods because they could not move freely without the required identification.
He said the board had taken measures to ensure that the problem would not recur.
On pilgrims with medical conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, Matawalle announced the decentralisation of medical screening to the 44 local government areas.
He said the new approach was designed to reduce the risks associated with transporting large numbers of intending pilgrims to a central screening location and to provide the board with a clearer assessment of each pilgrim’s health condition.
The decision, he said, was also influenced by an accident involving pilgrims travelling to a central screening exercise during the previous operation, which resulted in fatalities.
Under the new arrangement, medical officials in each local government would screen intending pilgrims and provide the board with information on their fitness for the pilgrimage.
Matawalle said pilgrims whose medical conditions made them unfit to undertake the demanding religious exercise would not be allowed to travel, in line with the national Hajj arrangements.
He also said the board would strengthen medical support in Saudi Arabia by building on the mobile clinic system used during the previous Hajj.
Rather than relying solely on central clinics, medical teams visited pilgrims in their accommodation facilities, attending to them on different shifts and providing drugs and other necessary interventions.
Matawalle said the board would further improve the system to make healthcare more accessible to Kano pilgrims.
On Kano’s relationship with NAHCON, he described it as cordial and productive, saying the relationship had helped in resolving operational challenges during Hajj preparations.
He also disclosed that efforts in the past to acquire permanent accommodation for Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia had not succeeded because Saudi authorities preferred approved hotel structures rather than residential houses.
Matawalle said the situation meant the board would continue to work within the existing framework while seeking arrangements that could reduce costs and improve the welfare of pilgrims.
He further said the latest Hajj operation recorded no casualties among Kano pilgrims, describing the outcome as a significant achievement for the board and its medical and operational teams.
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