By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Renowned Islamic scholar and former Chairman of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Hon. Dr. AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef, popularly known as Hon Iyepe, has unveiled an extensive operational framework for the 2026 Hajj, announcing that his organisation will coordinate the movement, welfare and spiritual guidance of 340 pilgrims, including 90 from the diaspora.
Speaking exclusively on Saturday, 9 May, 2026, during a one-day seminar and orientation programme held at the Governor’s Apartments, Omole Phase 1, Lagos,
The seminar, themed “Serving the Guests of Allah’, featured orientation sessions, vaccination exercises and spiritual guidance for intending pilgrims ahead of the 2026 Hajj exercise.
The former Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs disclosed that preparations for the pilgrimage had reached an advanced stage ahead of the commencement of airlift operations on May 11.
The respected Islamic cleric explained that the Hajj operation was built on a carefully structured system covering education, health, logistics, accommodation, transportation and spiritual development to ensure a seamless pilgrimage experience for all participants.
According to him, the preparation process began with a five-month intensive educational programme designed to equip pilgrims with practical and spiritual understanding of Hajj rites, Islamic jurisprudence and expected conduct during the pilgrimage.
He stated that the training also focused on behavioural discipline and compliance with Nigerian and Saudi Arabian Hajj regulations.
“In terms of preparation, we ran a five months education programme for all our pilgrims on all relevant topics in Islam. We conducted an examination for our pilgrims on Sunday, 3 May, 2026 and all the pilgrims who sat for the examination scored above 50 percent. Not a single pilgrim failed,” he said.
Hon AbdulLateef noted that the successful outcome of the exercise reflected the commitment of the pilgrims and the seriousness attached to proper Hajj preparation.
He stressed that adequate education remained essential to preventing confusion during the rites in Makkah and Madinah.
Furthermore, he disclosed that all pilgrims had undergone comprehensive medical screening, while vaccination exercises would be conducted by the Port Health Authority before departure.
To strengthen coordination, he explained that the 340 pilgrims had been divided into about 30 smaller groups, each supervised by designated leaders responsible for communication, welfare monitoring and movement coordination.
“We have divided the 340 pilgrims into smaller groups for ease of coordination. All medical tests have been done and the vaccination of all our pilgrims will hold next Saturday to be administered by the Port Health Authority,” he added.
The former Amirul Hajj for Lagos State also revealed that a central working committee and volunteer corps had been established to oversee medical services, welfare support, accommodation, transportation, media coordination and religious guidance throughout the pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, Hon AbdulLateef confirmed that all visas and flight tickets had been secured ahead of the scheduled airlift operations.
He explained that pilgrims would depart in batches through Qatar Airways, Egypt Air and Emirates Airline beginning from Monday, 11 May, 2026.
“The first batch of pilgrims will depart with Qatar Airways on the morning of Monday 11 May, 2026 In shaa Allah. The second batch will depart with Egypt Airways in the afternoon of May 11, 2026. The third and fourth batches will depart with Qatar Airways on the morning of May 14, 2026. The fifth batch will depart with Qatar Airways on May 15, 2026, while the sixth batch will depart with Emirates Airline in the afternoon of May 15, 2026,” he explained.
He further disclosed that the 90 diaspora pilgrims would join the Nigerian contingent in Madinah, describing the operation as a transnational coordination effort.
Speaking on operational challenges, the former NDIC chairman explained that the restriction placed on private Hajj operators necessitated collaboration with licensed tour operators to accommodate all intending pilgrims.
