2025 Hajj: Senate committee begins oversight of Nigerian pilgrims’ welfare in Saudi Arabia

The senate committee on foreign affairs, on Saturday, visited Saudi Arabia to inspect the welfare arrangements for Nigerian pilgrims participating in the 2025 hajj.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, said the committee’s oversight began in Madinah, where lawmakers assessed facilities related to accommodation, feeding, and transportation.

Ndume said the visit is part of the national assembly’s responsibility to ensure Nigerian pilgrims receive proper treatment during the religious exercise.

“All of us on this team are members of the national assembly; members of the senate committee on foreign affairs and the subcommittee on Hajj,” he said.

“We’re here for oversight — to see how the Hajj operations are being managed, beginning from Madinah.”

Ndume said the committee had interacted with pilgrims from Kebbi who arrived the night before, noting that they gave positive feedback about their accommodation.

“They told us it was okay; we also confirmed that breakfast was served on time and was of good quality,” the senator said.

Ndume added that the team had begun observing dinner arrangements and is engaging stakeholders for further evaluation.

“We asked questions, and members will give their comments — that’s why we’re here,” he said.

“So far, so good. We’ll visit all the accommodation centres here in Madinah. From there, we’ll move to Mecca, hold a pre-camp meeting, and proceed as planned.”

The Borno senator said the senate team would continue oversight visits across Saudi Arabia, monitoring the hajj process from start to finish as required.

Ndume added that while initial observations were positive, the committee would wait until the end of the pilgrimage before making any definitive conclusions.

“It’s not really about being impressed,” he said.

“What we’ve seen so far is okay, but there are still aspects we’ll need to evaluate. We’ll continue to monitor, and by the end, we’ll be in a better position to make a definitive statement.”

The committee members included Sharafadeen Alli, senator representing Oyo south, and Shahabi Yau, senator representing Zamfara north, among others, who were also part of the delegation that undertook the oversight visit to Saudi Arabia.