By Muhammad Ahmad Musa
The Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Fawzan Al-Rabiah, has formally declared the preparations for the 2026/1447 Hajj season open, signaling the official start of arrangements and operational readiness for the 2026 Hajj.
The announcement was made during the Labbaitum Awards of Excellence ceremony held in Makkah, an event that marks the conclusion of the 2025/1446H Hajj season while honoring outstanding achievements contributors to the Hajj industry during the 2025 Hajj operation.
The ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials, including the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Chairman and CEO, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, Secretary of the Commission Dr Mustapha Muhammad Ali, alongside leaders of Hajj missions from numerous participating countries. In his address, the Minister reassured all stakeholders of the Kingdom’s continued commitment to ensuring a safe, smooth, and spiritually fulfilling pilgrimage experience for the Guests of Allah-Arrahman.
Dr. Al-Rabiah, in his keynote address, reflected on the success of the 2025/1446H Hajj and emphasized the need for continued innovation, early planning and diligent coordination:
“It pleases me to congratulate you and all the pilgrims that completed this 1446H (2025) Hajj in ease and comfort. We began this season fully aware of the huge responsibility and the weight of tremendous trust we are shouldering. Through meticulous planning and careful implementation and execution, we ensured peace, security and simplicity in the performance of this noble journey.”
The momentum for the Hajj of 2026/1447H has now officially started. Supporting this declaration is an official release of the Preliminary Arrangements Document for the Hajj Affairs’ Offices from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for the various Hajj nations.
The document formally empowers all Hajj missions to begin public announcements and initiate preparations and arrangements for the upcoming 2026 (1447H) Hajj exercise. It permits the commencement of early engagements with licensed services’ providers, including those responsible for accommodation, feeding (in Makkah and Madinah), transportation and airline operating companies. Importantly, it also authorizes collaboration under the Kingdom’s Foreign Pilgrims’ Service Provider Regulation system.
The Kitamuhu Misk ceremony, whose name means “its ending is like musk,” encapsulates the beauty, dignity and fulfillment of a well-concluded 2025 Hajj season. It is both a symbolic farewell and an operational bridge to the future 2026 Hajj.
For NAHCON, the moment is one of reflection and resolve. Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman noted the remarkable support rendered by Nigerian stakeholders, state pilgrims’ boards, licensed tour operators, health officials, aviation experts, various security operatives and the very dedicated NAHCON staff, who worked selflessly to uphold the Commission’s mission.