ABEOKUTA – In a major move toward regional logistics integration, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has expressed the readiness of the state-owned airline, Gateway Air, to handle the airlift of intending Muslim pilgrims not just from Ogun State, but across the entire South-West region to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Tripod Times reports that the Governor Abiodun made the disclosure on Friday during a high-profile courtesy visit by a delegation from the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), led by its Commissioner of Operations, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Following the successful inaugural international operations at the Gateway International Airport, Iperu-Ilishan during the previous Hajj cycle, the Governor revealed that Ogun State is looking to scale up its participation by leveraging a private-sector-driven framework.
The collaborative template intends to pool together intending pilgrims from Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states to meet standard flight operation thresholds.
“We have always expressed interest that, based on what we saw during the last operations, we would like to charter our own aircraft,” Governor Abiodun stated.
“We want to brand it Gateway Air and airlift our pilgrims ourselves because we believe we can execute this process with maximum efficiency.”
During the brief, NAHCON Commissioner Prince Anofiu Elegushi praised the state’s infrastructural milestones, recalling that the Gateway International Airport benchmarked excellent compliance with safety and health regulations during its inaugural flights.
Elegushi introduced a strategic proposal for South-West states to establish a unified regional body—akin to the Oodua Group configuration—to consolidate pilgrim volumes and streamline administrative burdens.The NAHCON chief reminded stakeholders that payments for the upcoming Hajj exercise are currently ongoing and must be finalized by December 2, 2026, with digital data uploads scheduled to close well ahead of the anticipated airlift window starting late April or early May.
Furthermore, intending pilgrims are to brace for strict health compliance, as Saudi Arabian authorities have introduced nine new medical screening regulations targeting specific health profiles.
Governor Abiodun assured the commission that Ogun State will maintain its strict adherence to international health protocols, guaranteeing that every traveler flying out via the Gateway hub meets the new benchmarks seamlessly.
