Lawmakers probe NAHCON over shoddy 2024 Hajj pilgrimage

The House of Representatives, on Thursday, resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the National Hajj Commission over the conduct of the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage.

The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion titled, “Urgent need to investigate the National Hajj Commission and the Federal Capital Territory Administration Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, their agents and sub-agents over shoddy arrangement and treatment of Nigerian pilgrims in the 2024 Hajj exercise.”

The motion was moved during Thursday’s plenary by the lawmaker representing Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency of Kwara State, Mr Mohammed Bio.

Describing the Hajj exercise as an important obligation in the life of every Muslim and one of the five pillars of Islam, Bio lamented that about 50, 865 Muslim pilgrims across Nigeria were under the care of NAHCON in 2024, noting that some of them were not taken care of in terms of welfare, organisation, guidance and monitoring as expected.

He said the shoddy performance by NAHCON was unjustified given “the huge amount paid by the pilgrims for the 2024 Hajj exercise, NAHCON’s 2024 budget allocation, intervention from the Federal Government to the tune of N90bn and support from Government of Saudi Arabia.”

The lawmaker warned that “if this poor performance of NAHCON is not investigated with a view to improving future performance, further Hajj exercise for Nigerian citizens may be more complicated and put the entire country in a bad light in the committee of nations.”

Following the adoption of the motion, the House condemned the performance of NAHCON and the FCTA Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board in the 2024 Hajj exercise.

Subsequently, the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, named the lawmaker representing Jibia/Kaita Federal Constituency, Katsina State, Sada Soli, the Chairman of the probe committee.

The committee has two weeks to report back to the Green Chamber for further legislative action.

The Niger State Governor,  Mohammed Bago, had in June flayed NAHCON over its performance in the 2024 Hajj, vowing to approach the National Assembly to demand a probe of how the agency spent the N90bn subsidy got from the Federal Government.

“The N90bn subsidy paid by the Federal government for the Hajj operation, with some states, including Niger, paying about billions of naira; there is a need for the National Assembly to probe the N90bn the Federal Government released for the 2024 Hajj. It is ridiculous that pilgrims were given only $400 to take care of themselves for about 40 days despite the payment of N8m by each pilgrim.

“The N90bn would have made more impact if shared with states. The money is enough to run the Universal Basic Education budget for four years,” Bago said.

The governor, who took a large entourage of his cabinet members to Saudi Arabia for the Sallah celebration, disclosed that Niger State lost six pilgrims. While two died to medical challenges,  four died as a result of the heatwave, which killed over 1,000 pilgrims.

Bago called for a review of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria law during an interview he granted in Saudi Arabia.

He said, “Bago said, “Let the private sector drive Hajj operations; NAHCON should be a regulator at the centre. If NAHCON must exist, then it should strictly be a regulator. I am leading a committee of Governors to the NGF, from there, we go to the NEC, I will propose this motion, and we will send a bill to the National Assembly where this issue of NAHCON would be reviewed.”