Vice President Kashim Shettima has praised the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for its execution of the 2026 Hajj exercise, attributing the smooth coordination of the pilgrimage to the swift intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
While addressing the NAHCON board in Abuja while receiving its official 2026 operations report, Shettima commended the commission’s chairman, Ismail Abba Yusuf, for showing leadership and fostering inclusivity. The Vice President singled out the President’s timely involvement, stating: “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.”
The praise follows an official statement issued on Friday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President. The event was attended by NAHCON’s Commissioner of Policy, Personnel, Management and Finance, AbdulRazak Aliu; Commissioner of Operations, Anofi Elegushi; and regional board representatives.
During the presentation, Yusuf expressed gratitude to both the President and Vice President for their executive backing, noting that strategic policy measures, especially interventions stabilising foreign exchange rates, protecting basic travel allowances, and managing soaring aviation fuel prices, eased the financial strain on worshippers and kept the pilgrimage affordable despite global economic pressures. He added that proactive planning, efficient airlift services, and effective logistics management ensured Nigerian pilgrims experienced a “highly successful, seamless operation” and were “treated with utmost dignity.”
Looking ahead, Shettima said that NAHCON remains vital as global pilgrimage management transitions from a traditional government-to-government framework to a business-to-business model. He assured the delegation that state oversight would remain essential to guarantee smooth future exercises, urging the board to build upon its recent achievements.