Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has said Gateway Air, the state-owned airline, is set to airlift Ogun pilgrims directly to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the 2027 Hajj exercise, while also exploring opportunities to serve intending pilgrims from other South-West states.
Abiodun disclosed this on Friday when he received a delegation of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), led by its Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, at his office.
The governor said the state was considering participating in the emerging private-sector-driven Hajj airlift arrangement, particularly by providing services for pilgrims from Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
He said Ogun had taken note of the new regulations governing private-sector participation in Hajj operations, adding that the state was interested in chartering an aircraft under the Gateway Air brand to transport its pilgrims directly from the Gateway International Airport.
According to him, the move would enable Ogun residents to take full advantage of the airport, which the state government had invested heavily in developing.
Abiodun said, “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.”
He commended NAHCON for its support during the last Hajj exercise, particularly in facilitating the direct airlift of the first batch of Ogun pilgrims from the Gateway International Airport to Saudi Arabia.
The governor also welcomed a proposal by NAHCON for South-West states to establish a single private company, similar to the Oodua Investment structure, to coordinate Hajj operations and pool pilgrims from participating states.
He said he would present the proposal to other members of the Oodua Investment Group for consideration.
Earlier, Elegushi said NAHCON had commenced registration for the forthcoming Hajj, noting that the registration deadline initially scheduled for Friday would be extended to allow more intending pilgrims to register.
He explained that the early registration was necessary because Saudi Arabian authorities required accurate figures of intending pilgrims ahead of the pilgrimage.
The commissioner said Nigeria’s Hajj quota, traditionally about 95,000 pilgrims, had dropped to 50,000, with 10,000 slots allocated to tour operators and the remaining 40,000 shared among the states.
According to him, the development is connected to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks greater private-sector participation and digitalisation of Hajj and Umrah operations.
Elegushi said Saudi Arabia had indicated that 98 per cent of the Hajj quota could eventually be allocated to private operators, leaving two per cent for government operations.
He urged states to begin preparing for the transition by developing private-sector structures capable of operating Hajj services independently.
He, however, identified the requirement that an independent operator must have at least 2,000 pilgrims as a major challenge for individual states.
The commissioner said the proposed South-West company could pool pilgrims from participating states to meet the requirement and compete effectively with other private operators.
Elegushi also disclosed that payment for the forthcoming Hajj was ongoing, with all payments expected to be completed by December 2, 2026, while the airlift is expected to commence around the end of April or early May.
He further disclosed that Saudi authorities had introduced about nine new health-related policies, including screening intending pilgrims for specified diseases before they are cleared for the pilgrimage.
Elegushi commended Ogun for its compliance with health protocols during the last Hajj exercise and urged the state to sustain the measures ahead of the forthcoming pilgrimage.
