Tinubu’s Intervention Helped Deliver ‘Seamless’ 2026 Hajj, Shettima Says
Vice President credits NAHCON’s renewed performance and executive support as he receives the commission’s comprehensive report on the pilgrimage.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Vice President Kashim Shettima has credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention and what he described as improved performance by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the success of the 2026 Hajj operation.
Shettima made the remarks in Abuja on Friday while receiving the comprehensive 2026 Hajj operations report from the NAHCON board, led by its Chairman, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf.
The Vice President described the 2026 exercise as a “highly successful and seamless operation”, attributing the outcome to President Tinubu’s leadership and intervention at a critical stage of the pilgrimage.
“And I must thank Mr President for decisively coming to the rescue of NAHCON. We want to thank him for the support that culminated in such a highly successful and seamless operation,” Shettima said.
He also commended the NAHCON board, particularly its chairman, for what he described as the confidence, capacity and professionalism displayed during the 2026 exercise.
“I am very proud of the NAHCON chairman. He has shown capacity and exhibited a very high sense of professionalism and the willingness to carry on board members,” he said.
Shettima said NAHCON would remain important to the success of future Hajj operations even as the organisation of the pilgrimage undergoes a shift from the traditional government-to-government model towards a business-to-business framework.
He maintained that government would continue to have a critical role in ensuring smooth Hajj operations and urged the commission to sustain the momentum recorded during the 2026 exercise.
Earlier, NAHCON Chairman, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, thanked President Tinubu and the Vice President for their executive support during the 2026 Hajj.
Yusuf said government interventions, particularly in stabilising access to foreign exchange, securing basic travelling allowance and mitigating sudden increases in aviation fuel costs, helped ease the financial pressure on pilgrims.
According to him, the interventions helped keep the pilgrimage accessible despite difficult global economic and geopolitical conditions.
Yusuf also credited the Vice President’s leadership with helping NAHCON coordinate stakeholders involved in the exercise, from early preparations and airlift arrangements to logistical management within the Mashair and other areas of the pilgrimage.
He said Nigerian pilgrims were treated with dignity throughout the operation, describing the exercise as a highly successful and seamless Hajj operation.
The report presentation was attended by NAHCON’s Commissioner of Policy, Personnel, Management and Finance, AbdulRazak Aliu; Commissioner of Operations, Anofi Elegushi; and members representing the six geopolitical zones on the commission’s board.
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