The Chief of Staff to Bola Tinubu, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Femi Gbajabiamila, has charged staff at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to be transparent and put all issues that will bring controversies behind them.
The Chief of Staff make the comments when he paid a fact-finding to the commission. He was on the visit with other staff members from the state house.
He explained that the commission must be ready to undergo critical reforms that align with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He called on all organizations and agencies to embrace the new initiatives to foster development in the country.
Gbaja, who spoke on the importance of the commission, noted that the agency must avoid every issue that will be controversial because of the religious importance the commission holds in the country. He noted that the commission hold an important mandate in the country.
He charged the executives of NAHCON to start the preparation for the hajj early in order to achieve maximum success, as this is the best practice in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.
He elaborated that the pilgrims from the country are all ambassadors of the country; hence, it’s important to ensure that they are treated well and that their welfare is a priority. He called on the executives to claim responsibility for every activity that takes place in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
He assured the commission of the resident’s readiness to provide adequate resources and police, which will aid their operation optimally. He further commended the staff for their dedication and steadfastness in discharging their duties.
Responding, Aliu Abdulrazaq, commissioner of policy, personnel management, and finance (PPMF), who currently oversees the affairs of the commission, noted that the commission was working to ensure that there are massive improvement in the deployment of pilgrims for the haj and Umarah service.
He disclosed that the current challenges the commission faces include the need for digitalization of the accounting process.
The commission has been involved in several allegations in recent months. In July, the former NAHCON chairman, Jalal Arabi, was called upon by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was facing questioning for an allegation of misappropriation of N90 billion approved for the 2024 Hajj.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on August 10th announced the arrest of some staff of the commission who refused to honour the invitation of the agency.
When the investigations were on, the president announced the sack of Jalal Arabi as the chairman of the commission, appointing Abdullahi Usman as the new chairman on 19th August.
