The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced the completion of the return airlift of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia following the 2025 Hajj exercise.
The final return flight left Jeddah today at around 10:30 a.m., carrying 88 pilgrims to Kaduna State and one to Katsina, according to a statement released on Wednesday, July 2, by Fatima Sanda Usara, NAHCON’s Assistant Director of Information and Publication. The return operation lasted 20 days, having begun on June 13.
In his farewell address to the pilgrims, the chairman of NAHCON, Professor Abdullah Saleh Usman, expressed profound gratitude to Allah for granting Nigerians a smooth and successful Hajj exercise.
He attributed this success to the spirit of unity and cooperation demonstrated by State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards officials, airline operators, and other service providers, as well as the obedience of the pilgrims to laid-down guidelines.
The chairman urged the returning pilgrims to continue praying for Nigeria to overcome its challenges and to remember the nation’s leaders in their prayers.
He also reminded them that Hajj serves as an opportunity to build meaningful relationships, which foster peace and harmony; therefore, Professor Usman encouraged them to sustain the ties of friendship they established during their pilgrimage.
The chairman, flanked by Commissioner of Operations Prince Anofiu Elegushi, Secretary of the Commission Dr. Mustapha Alli, Special Assistant to the President Ameen Amshi, and other NAHCON staff, prayed for their safe journey back to Nigeria.
He reassured that NAHCON will continue to improve in its mandate for Nigerian pilgrims in line with global best practices.
