By Salisu Ibrahim 
The Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a faith-based civil society organisation, has constituted a special media team that will monitor the 2026 Hajj operations in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
The team comprises of credentialed media professionals drawn from the print, online, and broadcast networks.
The committee is chaired by Nasiru Lawal, former Editor of Daily Trust and current Editor in Chief of Dateline Nigeria, while Soliu Oyesiji will serve as secretary.
Members of the team are journalists with extensive experience in covering Hajj and Umrah operations, a statement e-signed by the National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad said.
IHR, said the team members would be deployed across departure points and Hajj camps to monitor the conduct of pilgrims and officials.
It said the team would document activities through video and photographs for inclusion in its 2026 Hajj Report, to be submitted to the Chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) after the exercise.
Other members include Nuruddeen M. Abdallah, National Secretary of IHR and former Investigative Editor of Daily Trust; Sani Tukur, Director of Media Publications at IHR; Jidda Abubakar Usman, a veteran Hajj and broadcast journalist; Suleiman Tola, a retired Managing Editor of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN); and Mustapha Hodi, publisher of Bizpoint and an executive member of the organisation.
Also on the team are Hajiya Medina Dauda, a veteran media professional, and Maryam Najeem, Administrative Secretary of IHR.
The organisation said the committee’s mandate is to complement NAHCON’s regulatory role by assisting in the realisation of policy direction and supervising the Hajj and Umrah industry.
While, the report will assist NAHCON in the regulatory policy framework for the Hajj ecosystem, Muhammad said the initiative would support data gathering on operational conduct, which would form part of the post-Hajj review process and guide recommendations aimed at improving service delivery.
He added that IHR, established in 2013 to monitor and report on Hajj and Umrah activities in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, had activated its monitoring arm to further enhance standards in the Hajj sector.