The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has approved a total of 110 (one hundred and ten) private tour operator companies for the issuance of 2024 hajj licences and slots allocation.
The development resulted from the thorough screening of the respective companies after meeting the requirements for next year’s hajj licence.
Muslim News gathered that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had earlier written NAHCON requesting to reduce the number of registered private tour operators from the exciting 200 to 10 but the commission appealed and the number was increased to 110.
Some of the qualified tour operators that made the list include Al-Hujjaj Travels and Tours; Hajj Mabrur Ventures HMVL, Habdat Express Travels Ltd, CargoZeal Technologies Ltd, Camerel Travels and Tours Ltd, and Tafsan tours and travels limited, founded by NASFAT, among others.
In a statement released on Friday by the Commission’s Assistant Director, Fatima Sanda Usara, part of the 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.
Other requirements include possession of standard corporate office, evidence of having operated eight years of umrah successfully or two years of hajj operations.
The statement also stated that a N25,000,000 (Twenty-five million Naira) refundable security deposit must also be submitted in order to protect the interest of the registered pilgrims in case of contract violation or other infringements.
Recall that an advertisement in major Nigerian newspapers inviting interested companies to submit applications for the 2024 hajj licence was made on 29th September 2023.
The statement stated: A total of 155 companies applied. Out of this number, 58 companies were initially successful while 97 companies were disqualified but given room for appeal. 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.
For the full list, please visit the NAHCON website HERE
“Kindly note that the Commission is holding further discussions with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah over the Ministry’s earlier policy to prune down number of tour operators that will participate in the 2024 hajj operation from Nigeria and other parts of the world,” the statement added.
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