New NAHCON chair assumes office in acting capacity, pending Senate confirmation

The newly-appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Abdullahi Usman, has officially assumed office.

Mr Usman assumed duty on Friday in acting capacity pending his confirmation by the Senate, which is currently on recess.

The upper legislative chamber will reconvene on Tuesday 24 September.

President Bola Tinubu appointed Mr. Usman, a professor, as the new NAHCON Chairman/CEO recently to succeed Jalal Arabi, who was removed from following allegations of financial mismanagement related to the 2024 Hajj operations.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how EFCC exposed Mr Arabi’s alleged misappropriation of the 2024 Hajj funds.

According to Independent Hajj Reporters, an online platform dedicated to Hajj coverage, the office of Vice President issued a directive on Tuesday instructing Mr Usman to assume office in an acting capacity, pending the completion of Senate screening and confirmation processes.

Some persons in the Hajj sector had called for the resumption of the new chairman, emphasising the importance of timely preparations for the 2025 Hajj exercise.

First meeting

Mr Usman presided over a meeting of the commission at the Hajj House, Abuja on Friday.

In attendance were the Commissioner Planning, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRISLS), Abubakar Yagawal; Commissioner Operations, Inspectorate and Licensing (OIL), Anofi Elegushi: Commissioner Policy, Personnel Management and Finance (PPMF), Aliu AbdulRazaq; and Saleh Muhammad, Special Assistant (Technical) to the acting chairman.

READ ALSO: Gbajabiamila canvasses transparency, accountability in NAHCON Operations

In his inaugural address at the meeting, Mr Usman expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty for the privilege to serve.

He then listed the pressing issues that require immediate attention and deliberation and subsequently sought Allah’s guidance and blessings for a successful tenure.