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The chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Professor Abdullahi Usman has admitted to the prevalence of dirty deals in the commission.
Usman, whose appointment as NAHCON chairman was confirmed by the Senate on October 10, 2024, stated this while responding to a remark by the chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating activities of the commission and FCTA Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Hon. Sada Soli (APC, Katsina).
In July, the House set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the activities of NAHCON and FCTA Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, their agents, and sub-agents in conducting the 2024 Hajj exercise.
That followed a motion moved by Hon. Mohammed Umar Bio (APC, Kwara) at plenary, in which he accused the commission and the FCT Administration’s Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board of shoddy preparation and execution of the 2024 Hajj exercise.
At the investigative hearing in Abuja, Soli, the chairman of the ad hoc committee, told the NAHCON boss that the agency was dirty.
He said, “Mr Chairman, I pity you. You are in a very dirty organisation —NAHCON is very dirty.”
In his response, Professor Usman, who joined the investigative hearing later in the day, said, “Yes, I agree.”
The ad-hoc committee chairman had earlier accused NAHCON of obvious discrepancies in subsidies to pilgrims, saying the agency was doing this for the personal gains of certain interests.
The commissioner for operations at NAHCON, Olarewaju Elegushi, represented the chairman of the commission, but Soli insisted the commissioner must call his boss on the phone while the hearing was ongoing to appear personally.
Grilling the Elegushi, Soli said, “How come you are giving a full subsidy, half subsidy, and some none? They are all Nigerians.”
But the commissioner said those who did not enjoy the subsidy came after the agency had closed the registration of pilgrims who would enjoy it.
The panel’s chairman said, “As long as they are Nigerians and pilgrims, they are to enjoy the same privilege. We are speaking for the average Nigerian who would save money for five years, yet they would go to Saudi Arabia, and you would mess them up because of simple things to do.
“Be disciplined, do the right thing, and close your eyes. You must not bring enterprise into what people spend their lives investing in. You are giving subsidies at will because you have been given the authority. Who gave you the subsidy? Did the federal government tell you what to do with it? You are selective because it will favour you at the end of the day.”
The committee further grilled the commission on the disparity in basic travel allowances and exchange rates for pilgrims and the patronisation of foreign airlines for the Hajj to the detriment of local carriers.
Hon. Bio, a member of the committee and mover of the motion that led to the probe, said it was a failure despite the huge resources made available for the 2024 Hajj.
“Despite the huge amount of money by Nigerian pilgrims, NAHCON also received support of N90 billion from the federal government. We are surprised by all this inflow and that NAHCON has shown an abysmal performance in 2024,” he said.
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