Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has expressed the readiness of the state-owned Gateway Air to airlift Ogun pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Hajj and extend the service to intending pilgrims from other South-West states.
Abiodun said the state would explore opportunities created by the emerging private-sector-driven Hajj airlift arrangement, particularly for pilgrims from Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
The governor disclosed this on Friday when he received a delegation from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), led by its Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, at his office.
Abiodun said the state government had taken note of the new regulations governing private-sector participation in Hajj operations, while commending NAHCON for its support in ensuring the successful and safe airlift of Ogun pilgrims from the Gateway International Airport to Saudi Arabia during the last Hajj exercise.
He said Ogun had always expressed its intention to charter an aircraft under the Gateway Air brand to transport its pilgrims directly from the Gateway International Airport.
“We had always expressed interest that, based on what we saw last time, we would like to charter our own aircraft. We would like to brand it Gateway Air, and we would like to airlift our pilgrims ourselves because we believe that we can do it efficiently,” Abiodun said.
The governor said the initiative was in line with the state’s investment in aviation infrastructure and its desire to enable residents to benefit from the Gateway International Airport.
He commended the collaboration between the state government and NAHCON during the previous Hajj operation, describing the commission’s support as commendable and exemplary.
Abiodun also welcomed NAHCON’s proposal for South-West states to establish a single body, similar to the Oodua Investment structure, to represent participating states and coordinate Hajj operations on their behalf.
He said he would present the proposal to other members of the Oodua Investment Group for consideration.
Speaking on religious harmony, the governor said Ogun had remained peaceful and had not experienced any religious crisis under his administration, attributing this to the harmonious relationship among residents irrespective of their religious affiliations.
Earlier, Elegushi said NAHCON had commenced registration for the forthcoming Hajj exercise, adding that the registration deadline would be extended to accommodate more intending pilgrims.
He explained that the early registration was necessary because Saudi Arabian authorities required accurate figures of intending pilgrims ahead of the pilgrimage to enable adequate preparations.
According to Elegushi, NAHCON was also working to secure additional slots after observing that the current allocation was inadequate.
He congratulated the Ogun State Government on what he described as a landmark achievement in ensuring that the first batch of Ogun pilgrims travelled directly from the Gateway International Airport to Saudi Arabia during the last Hajj.
Elegushi said the feat would remain significant in the history of Ogun State and the South-West.
He disclosed that Saudi Arabia had traditionally allocated about 95,000 Hajj slots to Nigeria, but the quota had gradually declined to 50,000, with 10,000 allocated to tour operators and the remaining 40,000 shared among states.
According to him, the development was linked to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks greater private-sector participation and digitalisation of Hajj and Umrah operations.
He said Saudi authorities had initially indicated that 98 per cent of the Hajj quota would be allocated to private operators, leaving two per cent for government operations.
Elegushi explained that the development had prompted NAHCON to encourage states to consider privatising their Hajj operations and participate as private operators capable of competing with other operators.
However, he said a major challenge was the requirement that companies seeking to operate independently must have a minimum of 2,000 pilgrims.
He noted that even Lagos State currently did not have the required number, making it difficult for individual South-West states to meet the threshold.
Elegushi said NAHCON had therefore considered establishing a single South-West company, similar to the Oodua Investment structure, which could pool pilgrims from participating states and meet the Saudi requirement.
He urged Governor Abiodun to ensure that Ogun also succeeds in using Gateway Air to airlift its pilgrims, following the successful use of the Gateway International Airport during the previous Hajj exercise.
The commissioner disclosed that payments for the forthcoming Hajj were ongoing, with all payments expected to be completed by 2 December 2026.
He added that pilgrims’ data would be uploaded ahead of the commencement of the airlift, which is expected to begin around the end of April or early May.
Elegushi further disclosed that Saudi Arabian authorities had introduced about nine new health-related policies, including screening intending pilgrims for specified diseases before they are cleared for the pilgrimage.
He commended the Ogun State Government for complying with health protocols during the last Hajj exercise and urged the state to sustain its support and ensure full compliance among its pilgrims during the forthcoming pilgrimage.
