With the benefit of hindsight—drawing from my diverse experiences in a successful postgraduate program in Europe and visits to several countries in Africa, America, and Asia—I believe that no nation merits my strenuous effort to visit except Saudi Arabia (SA). I made three unsuccessful attempts to visit Saudi Arabia until 2010, when I persevered and performed my first Hajj operation.
After that, I visited Saudi Arabia thrice, with my last visit occurring this year between March 16 and 27, 2025. On each trip, one of my prayers on the last day of my stay before the Masjid Haram in Mecca was to have the ability to return as many times as possible. My desire for frequent visits to Saudi Arabia reflects the wish of every Muslim in Nigeria and other Muslim countries to perform one of the five obligatory acts of the Islamic faith. For a Muslim, performing Hajj, which takes place only in Mecca, Minna, and Medina, is not merely a matter of personal choice but a compulsory duty for those with the capacity and ability to do so.
With the global population explosion, the number of Muslims is expanding exponentially. For example, in 2000, the population was 6.14 billion, with 21% being Muslims. By 2013, the population had grown to 7.21 billion, and 22.7% were Muslim. In 2016, the Muslim population increased to 24.1% of the 7.47 billion people. By 2040, the world population is expected to reach 9 billion, with Muslims making up 26%. Therefore, the number of people wishing to visit Saudi Arabia to perform their obligatory acts will continue to increase annually. The authorities in Saudi Arabia must prepare to manage large crowds of people from different nations with different cultural orientations, united by one objective – performing Hajj or Umra. So far, the government of Saudi Arabia must be commended for its capacity to manage the crowd, making every pilgrim desire to return as soon as possible.
Nigerians constitute the majority of non-Arab visitors to Saudi Arabia each year. Historically, the people of northern Nigeria had contact with Saudi Arabia centuries before colonization. The first recorded pilgrimage from Nigeria was Kanem of the Borno Empire, Mai Dunama bin Umme, between 1098 and 1150. He made the pilgrimage twice and died while returning from the third. Even during the colonial regime, when the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Britain was broken due to the 1956 Suez Canal invasion, the Nigerian Pilgrim Mission at Jeddah was established essentially to improve Nigeria’s relations with Saudi Arabia for ease of Nigerian’s visit to the country.
In 1962, the Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and the Sardauna of Sokoto received a cablegram from His Majesty, King Saud of Saudi Arabia, warmly welcoming the Premier to perform the holy pilgrimage. From time immemorial, every Nigerian Muslim has desired to visit Saudi Arabia at least once. Despite this insatiable desire, Nigerians are not receiving fair treatment regarding visas for visits and residence permits.
Nigerians holding Schengen, U.S., or UK visas traveling to Saudi Arabia can obtain a Visa on Arrival in Jeddah for only $105 (approximately ₦ $200,000 at the current black-market rate). This visa is valid for one year. Furthermore, the United Kingdom Muslim pays £35, equivalent to ₦75,000, for a single-entry Umrah visa to Saudi Arabia. Comparatively, Nigerians are charged a whopping sum of between ₦1.3 and ₦1.8 million, equivalent to $812 and $1,125 for a single-entry visa with a validity of just one month.
A significant part of the skyrocketing Visa prices in Nigeria stems from the fact that Nigerians cannot directly access the transparent Umrah visa process through online applications. Instead, they must rely on travel agencies in Saudi Arabia, which inflate prices and further escalate the overall cost. Another factor is the unscrupulous actions of travel agencies and middlemen, who exploit vulnerable and neglected Nigerian pilgrims. Many wealthy Nigerians wishing to perform Hajj or Umrah first secure a UK, Schengen, or USA Visa and travel to these countries before heading to Saudi Arabia, turning this into a costly endeavor in terms of time and financial resources. It is disheartening that Nigerian Muslims are being exploited and short-changed, making it difficult for many to fulfill their obligatory religious duties. Soon, many eligible Nigerians will have to forgo these obligations unless something is done to address the issue, but there is absolute silence from both ends. The silence is deafening, and the situation is genuinely pathetic.
In Saudi Arabia, particularly in Mecca and Madina, Nigerians are plentiful and live in a complex and problematic way. Many have spent decades there, and some were born there without an iota of national integration or claims of being Saudis. They live by paying their annual residential fees (Igama) of about 9,000 Riyals, equivalent to over ₦4 million, an exorbitant fee, hardly affordable to many. Delay or failure to settle the payment promptly attracts a penalty from deportation, suspension of visa, and imprisonment. Defaulters are at loggerheads with security personnel, playing cat-and-mouse games. Some who spent more than two years without paying their Igama are at a crossroads as they cannot pass immigration and leave the country without settling their debts. They are either caught and deported with a ten-year ban of coming back to Saudi or cross over Yemen, a border country, and bribed their way back to Nigeria. Some years ago, Saudis had a nationalization policy called “Tadiyya-Dankasa,” granted to deserving Nigerians. Still, the policy has been suspended, which makes it difficult for a Nigerian immigrant to become a Saudi.
These Nigerian residents in Saudi Arabia lacked opportunities for education unless they returned to Nigeria for their educational careers – Islamic and Western education. These Nigerians are involved in menial jobs, traditional cuisine, and guides for the Nigerian pilgrims. Essentially, the Nigerians in Saudi contribute immensely to the development of their host country and are hardly involved in crimes as crime commissions in Saudi face harsh punitive measures from instant imprisonment to summary execution. You can leave your valuable items in the street and return to find them in the exact location.
The Saudi Arabian government can enhance its efforts by providing educational opportunities to Nigerian immigrants in their country, as Saudi Arabia will be the primary beneficiary of an educated Nigerian populace. The populace can be turned to add immense value to the growth of Saudi.
Nigeria, as a nation, has failed to provide adequate potable drinking water and reliable electricity to its citizens. This situation has made other countries look down on it, disdaining and mistreating its citizens. However, we deserve better treatment from Saudi Arabia due to our longstanding cordial relationship. Most importantly, the cardinal pillar of the Islamic religion ascribes equality of Muslims before the Almighty Allah, except for the most dutiful among them. As the world sinks more profoundly into the 21st century, Saudi Arabia needs a dogged, resilient, and intelligent workforce to effectively control the overwhelming foreseeable crowd of millions coming to perform their religious acts. Nigerians are the perfect candidates. Let the Saudis beam their searchlight.
Nigeria’s authorities and foreign mission must awaken to their responsibility of protecting Nigerians and ensuring their welfare when planning visits to Saudi Arabia. The disparity in visa prices for the same Nigerians (UK, European, US visa holders, and non-holders) must stop. The conversation about strengthening the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria must extend beyond rhetoric to tangible reality, ensuring Nigerians receive fair treatment when visiting the Holy Land. We all crave to revisit Saudi Arabia as soon as possible.
