An expert on Nigeria’s hajj affairs, Dr. Shehu Makarfi, has described the 2025 pilgrimage as one of the most successful exercises ever conducted under the leadership of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
Speaking at a review and award ceremony organized by Hajj Independent Reporters at the National Mosque Conference Hall in Abuja, Dr. Makarfi said while achieving 100 percent success in hajj operations is difficult, every pilgrim this year could testify to the quality of welfare and services provided from Madinah and Makkah to the sacred sites in Mina.
Another speaker, Sheikh Abubakar Sadiq, who heads the travel company COMEREL, urged NAHCON to relocate Nigerian pilgrims closer to the Jamarat Bridge in Mina to ease the stress of long treks during the ritual stoning of the devil. He explained that although Mina has five major camps, Nigerian pilgrims are often placed far behind, and suggested they should be moved to the third camp for easier access.
Responding, NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, said the commission also wished to move pilgrims nearer to the Jamarat, but such relocation would significantly increase the cost of hajj seats. The event, chaired by former NAHCON Commissioner Dr. Yusuf Adebayo, was attended by representatives of the Jigawa and Sokoto State governments, hajj stakeholders, and journalists from Independent Hajj Reporters, including Muhammad Ibrahim, Sani Tukur, and Nasir Jafar.