Edo Board gives pilgrims 48 hours to complete hajj payment

By Olatonmiwa Osho

The Edo State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board has given intending pilgrims 48 hours to complete outstanding payments for the 2027 Hajj following a fresh directive from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

The directive was issued after a meeting on Monday, September 21, 2026, between the NAHCON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, and heads of state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards across the country.

Executive Secretary of the Edo Board, Alhaji Eranga Abdulkabir Muhammadkabir, said NAHCON had confirmed that Nigeria’s full allocation of 50,000 Hajj slots for 2027 had been exhausted, with no additional slots available from Saudi Arabia.

He said the new 48-hour payment window superseded the previously announced December 2, 2026 deadline, stressing that part-payment would no longer be accepted, including from pilgrims enrolled under the Hajj Savings Scheme.

The Board warned that pilgrims who fail to complete payment within the new deadline risk losing their allocated slots, which could be reallocated to states that have completed their remittances and require additional slots.

It explained that the number of slots ultimately available to each state would be determined by the amount remitted to NAHCON.

The Board added that requests by some states for additional slots, including slots for government-sponsored officials, could only be accommodated through the reallocation of slots withdrawn from states that fail to meet the payment requirement.

It urged all affected intending pilgrims in Edo State to treat the directive as urgent and complete their outstanding payments within the stipulated 48-hour period.