The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board has given intending pilgrims who have paid their Hajj fares but are yet to submit their e-passports until September 5, 2026, to complete the process or risk losing their slots for the 2027 Hajj.
The Director-General of the Board, Abubakar Ibrahim Matawalle, announced the deadline on Monday during an interview with members of the Kano Correspondents Chapel at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Kano.
Matawalle warned that pilgrims who failed to submit their e-passports by the deadline would have their payments refunded, while their slots would be allocated to standby pilgrims.
He disclosed that about 200 pilgrims were already on the standby list, with their passports and cheques of N7.6 million, in addition to the required Hajj fare, ready for processing.
“Anybody who fails to meet the deadline will automatically be replaced,” the DG warned.
He explained that the decision was necessary to enable the board to meet deadlines set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and avoid losing unutilized slots.
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Matawalle further warned that any slots that remained unutilized after September 10 would be taken over by NAHCON and reallocated to states requiring additional slots.
The DG said the board had reviewed the challenges encountered during the previous Hajj operation, particularly delays in accommodation arrangements, issuance of pilgrims’ identification cards known as “Masuk,” and airlift arrangements.
He assured intending pilgrims that measures had been put in place to prevent a recurrence of the delays experienced in obtaining the Masuk cards.
According to him, the identification card is essential because it enables Saudi authorities to properly identify pilgrims and helps prevent them from experiencing difficulties during their stay.
Matawalle said he assumed office at a critical period when preparations for the pilgrimage were already behind schedule, noting that important arrangements such as visa processing, Basic Travel Allowance (BTA), and pilgrims’ sensitization should ordinarily have started one or two months earlier.
Despite the challenges, he said the board worked round the clock, including during Ramadan, to clear outstanding documentation and meet the deadlines imposed by NAHCON and Saudi authorities for uploading pilgrims’ passports for visa processing.
He said Kano successfully secured visas for all its allocated 3,600 pilgrims within the required period during the previous Hajj operation.
Matawalle said his administration had reviewed the previous arrangements and identified areas where shortcomings occurred, with a view to improving the 2026 Hajj operation.
He listed decent accommodation, feeding, medical services, and general welfare of pilgrims among his major priorities.
The DG also disclosed that the number of accommodation facilities for Kano pilgrims would be reduced from about nine or 10 houses used previously to only two houses for the 2026 operation.
He said the measure would enable board officials to monitor pilgrims more effectively, provide essential services, and respond promptly to their needs.
Matawalle disclosed that Kano’s allocation had been reduced to 3,050 pilgrims following a reduction in Nigeria’s overall Hajj quota by Saudi authorities.
He explained that Nigeria previously received an allocation of 90,000 pilgrims, but only about 50,000 were eventually transported because some states failed to utilize their allocated slots.
According to him, Kano has already exhausted its 3,050 allocated seats, making it necessary for the board to replace any pilgrim who fails to complete the required documentation.
On accommodation in Saudi Arabia, Matawalle acknowledged that the board might not be able to secure facilities extremely close to the Grand Mosque but assured pilgrims that the distance would be considerably better than what they experienced previously.
He also said the board had engaged the airline to ensure that Kano pilgrims would not again be among the last groups to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia.
“Last year, we were almost the last people to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia. This time around, we will never be the last. If we cannot be the first, we will definitely be the second or be in the middle,” he said.
The DG urged all intending pilgrims who had paid their fares but were yet to submit their e-passports to do so before the September 5 deadline.
He also appealed to pilgrims to cooperate with the board, complete their documentation promptly, and comply with all official directives to ensure a smoother and more organized Hajj operation.
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