Saudi Arabia has approved an additional 10,000 Hajj slots for Nigeria, increasing the country’s allocation for the 2027 Hajj from 50,000 to 60,000 pilgrims.

According to the reports, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah communicated the approval to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Wednesday, following diplomatic engagements between Nigerian and Saudi authorities.

Nigeria’s allocation had been reduced from 95,000 to 50,000 beginning with the 2025 Hajj and the 50,000 figure was maintained for the 2026 and 2027 exercises.

For 2027, 35,000 slots had initially been allocated to states and the armed forces, while 15,000 went to private tour operators.

The development comes after NAHCON had earlier sought an increase in the allocation.

On September 17, the commission announced that Saudi Arabia had rejected the request, citing capacity limitations, structural constraints at the holy sites and its policy of adhering strictly to approved country quotas.

However, according to sources, subsequent diplomatic engagements resulted in the Saudi authorities reversing the earlier decision and granting the additional 10,000 slots.

The report said NAHCON had received a formal letter communicating the additional allocation before the close of work on Wednesday.

It remains unclear how the additional 10,000 slots will be distributed between state pilgrims’ welfare boards and private Hajj operators.

NAHCON had also not issued an official statement on the development as of the time the report was filed.

The additional allocation means that up to 60,000 Nigerians can now participate in the 2027 Hajj, subject to registration and the arrangements to be announced by NAHCON.