By Tajudeen Balogun
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has approved a total of 110 Private Tour Operators’ Companies for the issuance of 2024 Hajj licences and slots allocation.
This was disclosed in a press release signed by NAHCON Assistant Director, Fatima Sanda Usara, on Friday.
Usara said the development followed thorough screening of the respective companies after meeting the requirements for the next year’s Hajj licence.
“Part of documents required for eligibility include certificate of registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, IATA (International Air Transport Association) certificate, IATA accredited staff and principal officers with no record of criminal conviction, presentation of evidence of owning N30,000,000 (thirty million Naira) minimum share capital, possession of standard corporate office, evidence of having operated eight years of Umrah successfully or two years of Hajj operations. A N25,000,000 (Twenty-five million Naira) refundable security deposit must also be submitted. Purpose of this is to protect the interest of the registered pilgrims in case of contract violation or other infringements” Usara said.
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Meanwhile, NAHCON has urged the public to recall that advertisement in major Nigerian newspapers inviting interested companies to submit applications for 2024 Hajj licence was made on 29th September 2023.
Usara pointed out that a total of 155 companies applied, out of which 58 companies were initially successful, while 97 companies were disqualified but given room for re-application.
She stated that so far, 80 companies appealed and out of this number, 52 companies met the criteria for qualification, making a total of 110 private operator companies that “resultantly qualified”.
The release directed the public to check NAHCON website for full list on: https://nahcon.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/COMPANIES-APPROVED-FOR-2024-HAJJ-SLOT.pdf.
Usara said the Commission is holding further discussions with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah over the Ministry’s earlier policy to prune down the number of Tour Operators that will participate in the 2024 Hajj operation from Nigeria and other parts of the world.
