Philip Nyam 
…As NAHCON Fails To Defend N90bn Hajj Subsidy
Following the failure of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to account for the N90 billion subsidy paid by the Federal Government for the 2024 Hajj exercise, stakeholders have said the private sector should be left to handle hajj operations.
The stakeholders canvassed the position at the continuation of the investigation by the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee probing the NAHCON and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board in Abuja.
In its presentation, the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) insisted that hajj operations in the country should be manage by the private sector.
The Vice President Kano branch of the association, Haruna Ismail said the government should be proactive in putting the right measures and laws on ground to drive this process.
“We recommend the committee to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to verify some of our submissions and interact with some of the active players in the provision of service to Nigerian Pilgrims.
“The committee should look at developing a standard operational practice for all operators in the Hajj management chain. This will act as a model upon which future Haji reforms shall be placed on.
“The need for a joint committee of all players in the Hajj management in the country is long over-due to constantly review Hajj processes, reports and complaint
“As we gear up to full private operator’s control, we suggest this committee to recommend a regime where the share of the slots should be increased gradually by 10,000 slots annually thereby building the capacity to take over the operation,” he said.
Also, the Managing Director of Comerel Travels, Mr Abubakar Siddeeq,said that management of hajj must evolve around qualified individuals who thoroughly understand the complexities of hajj operations.
He said that the problem of hajj in Nigeria has been this vile that has been changing its name from one name to another.
According to him, no hajj operation will succeed in Nigeria with such being the service provider for the Nigerian pilgrims.
Meanwhile, the NAHCON management failed to account for the N90 billion subsidy provided for pilgrims in the 2024 Hajj.
NAHCON’s Commissioner of Operations, Olarewaju Elegusi concerned that he was aware that subsidy was paid but was unable to tell the committee how the money was disbursed.
When queried by the Chairman of the Committee, Sada Soli, Elegusi said, “I am aware subsidy of N90bn by the federal government. I did not see the document until the former chairman addressed a press conference and stated how it was disbursed. The money was paid in naira through the Central Bank of Nigeria.”
He said some part of the subsidy was remitted back to the Federal Government through the CBN and promised to furnish the committee with the required documents in the next sitting.
