The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says 25,075 Nigerian pilgrims have so far been transported to Makkah from Madina with their Nusuk cards.
Alhaji Abdulkadri Oloyin, the Coordinator of the Madina NAHCON Office, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Madina on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has made it mandatory for pilgrims from all countries participating in the 2025 hajj to have Nusuk cards displaying their details.
The ministry explained that the card was for easy identification of genuine pilgrims as well as for gaining access to the holy sites in Makkah.
Oloyin, who said no pilgrim left Madina for Makkah without Nusuk cards, said NAHCON had already collected 25,075 Nusuk cards.
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He said: “They have already been collected by Nigeria and distributed to our pilgrims.
“And if you compare it with the number of those that have left Madina for Makkah, it is accurate.
“Anyone that has not collected it, there may be those who will move among officials ahead, but they have registered them, and they will collect their Nusuk cards.
“As for ordinary pilgrims, all their Nusuk cards have been issued already.”
According to Oloyin, NAHCON’s work has been very commendable, but in everything, there must be challenges.
“But there is no serious challenge that has not been attended to.
“The biggest challenges that we had when we started the operation in Madina was cooperation from the local authorities.”
He said that instead of issuing the Nusuk cards in Makkah, the Saudi authorities brought it down to Madina.
He said that this was done to ensure that no pilgrim left Madina for Makkah without having Nusuk.
Oloyin added: “This is done so that it will not cause a lot of traffic on the eve of entering Mashair.
“All pilgrims, including officials, were issued an urgent visa.
“They directed us to drop our passport at the airport.
“The purpose of dropping the passport at the airport is for them to make arrangements for each one of the Nusuk.”
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