2027 Hajj: Sokoto Seeks 500 More Slots After Registering 3,058 Pilgrims
By Abdulrazaq Auwal
The Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (PWA) says it still requires 500 additional Hajj slots after registering 3,058 intending pilgrims for the 2027 pilgrimage, following Nigeria’s recent allocation of 10,000 extra seats by Saudi Arabia.
The development represents an increase from the over 2,500 pilgrims earlier registered by the state before the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) secured the additional slots for Nigeria.
Chairman of the Sokoto PWA, Alhaji Aliyu Musa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Sokoto while briefing journalists on the state’s preparations for the 2027 Hajj.
Musa said the additional 300 slots allocated to Sokoto formed part of the 10,000 extra seats granted to Nigeria by the Saudi Arabian Government and subsequently distributed by NAHCON among states and tour operators.
He explained that the 300 additional slots enabled the Agency to accommodate some intending pilgrims who had already paid through the PWA and its Hajj Saving Scheme.
According to him, the Agency now has 3,058 registered pilgrims but still has a deficit of 500 seats.
“If we can get the 500 slots, I am sure we are going to exhaust it,” Musa said, noting that another request for additional allocation may not be feasible because there is currently no further slot allocation to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia.
He said the affected applicants would have to wait for a future opportunity if the outstanding 500 seats could not be secured.
2027 Hajj: Sokoto Seeks 500 More Slots After Registering 3,058 Pilgrims
Musa disclosed that the Agency had remitted funds to NAHCON for 3,150 seats, while each intending pilgrim had paid a tentative Hajj fare of N7,682,862.60.
He put the level of preparation for the 2027 Hajj at about 80 per cent, expressing confidence that the Agency would meet the required timelines.
The Agency, he said, is currently e-tracking pilgrims’ passports through the Saudi Arabian portal for visa processing and plans to send officials to Saudi Arabia next month to inspect accommodation and catering arrangements.
He added that preparations for pilgrims’ uniforms were also underway. Musa commended the Sokoto State Government for its support, saying the state’s contribution had been critical to the success of the Hajj operation.
The chairman, however, identified the Federal Government’s centralisation of international passport issuance in Abuja and Lagos as a major bottleneck.
He said passports that previously took about a week to obtain now require up to three weeks, potentially affecting the timely completion of Hajj documentation.
He therefore appealed to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service to decentralise passport issuance to ease delays confronting prospective pilgrims.
Musa also disclosed that the Agency and some of its officials had recently received awards from NAHCON and other institutions for their contributions to Hajj administration.
