The Lagos State Government has formally prohibited pregnant women from taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage this year, citing safety and health concerns.
During the announcement in Badagry on Wednesday, Olanrewaju Ibrahim Layode, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, emphasized that pregnant women’s health is at serious risk due to the demanding nature of the journey.
According to Layode, the state’s move is in line with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria’s (NAHCON) order, which forbids State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards from registering expectant mothers for the journey.
While discussing pilgrimage preparations, such as the opening of medical clinics in Makkah and Madinah and the issuance of Yellow Cards to different states, Professor Abubakar Yagawal, NAHCON’s Commissioner for Planning, Research, Statistics, Information, and Library Services (PRSILS), reaffirmed the policy in support of the directive.
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Layode continued by saying that the Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs is also carrying out Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s direction, which has underlined the necessity of ensuring that only those who are medically fit are permitted to make the pilgrimage.
During the First Family of Lagos State and Ministry of Home Affairs Eid-el-Fitr celebration at Lagos House, Marina, Governor Sanwo-Olu stated: “Those who are traveling to Makkah will start to travel by May.” Please make sure you’re feeling well. Don’t go to the 2025 Hajj if you’re sick; instead, stay home and pray in Nigeria.
The Commissioner for Home Affairs claims that pregnant women should not perform the Hajj since it is extremely risky and delicate.
“The procedures are thorough. The Tawaf, Safa, and Marwah are not things a pregnant mother should travel through from Medina to Makkah. Because they were born in Saudi Arabia, it has nothing to do with style or fitting a prophet’s name to a child.
In the past, some women have tried to conceal their pregnancies in order to participate in the pilgrimage, the commissioner disclosed, with some reportedly submitting their husbands’ urine for medical examination.
The state government has implemented advanced medical screening methods, such as the deployment of mobile diagnostic vans designed to detect tuberculosis and pregnancy at designated screening centers, in order to stop such dishonest acts.
