By Stanley Onyekwere
The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has called for immediate and comprehensive reforms within the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
She stressed the need to build a transparent, efficient, accountable, and pilgrim-centered system capable of setting a new benchmark for service excellence.
According to a statement released Wednesday by her Special Assistant on Media, Austine Elemue, the Minister made the call at the Stakeholders’ Summit on Post-2026 Hajj Review and NAHCON Reform, held at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja.
Addressing the summit themed “Repositioning Nigeria’s Hajj Industry as a Model of Service Excellence”, Mahmoud emphasized that the push for institutional overhaul is both timely and vital. She noted that Hajj is not just a sacred religious obligation, but a massive logistical exercise demanding flawless execution.
“Every pilgrim deserves an experience that reflects dignity, safety, comfort, and professionalism.
“Achieving this requires unwavering commitment, transparency, and accountability from all stakeholders,” Mahmoud stated.
To achieve the reforms required, Mahmoud outlined several key expectations – honest institutional assessment, better inter-agency collaboration, actionable roadmap, and alignment with national reform agenda.
However, the Minister commended NAHCON for convening the summit to critically assess the 2026 Hajj operations. She tied the urgency of these reforms to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, praising the administration’s focus on transparent, people-centered governance.
Additionally, she acknowledged FCT Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike for fostering an environment that champions public service excellence.
Responding to the push for reform, NAHCON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, agreed that the summit must serve as a strict forum for accountability.
Yusuf noted that with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aggressively executing its Vision 2030 pilgrimage transformation, Nigeria must rapidly modernize its own processes.
“Every shortcoming must be named without embellishment and matched with a remedy.
“There are things we achieved and there are things we must fix,” Yusuf stated, echoing the Minister’s urgency call.
