Nigeria, Oct. 16 -- For decades, Nigeria had some of the largest contingents in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage.

But within two Hajj cycles, the number of pilgrims fell sharply, leaving thousands facing the prospect of postponing a religious obligation they may have spent years preparing for.

The story, however, is more complicated than Saudi Arabia's reduction of the country's slots.

Nigeria was allocated 95,000 slots for the 2025 Hajj. By May 2025, only about 64,188 pilgrims had registered, while fewer than 60,000 eventually travelled to Saudi Arabia through the government and licensed private tour operators.

In 2026, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) secured spaces for about 52,000 pilgrims, b...