President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman as the new Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). This appointment, on Monday, comes in the wake of the dismissal of the former chairman, Jalal Arabi, who is currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged financial misconduct.
Professor Usman’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate. He is expected to bring his extensive experience in both Islamic scholarship and Hajj operations to the role. With qualifications from the University of Madinah and Peshawar University in Pakistan, Usman is well-versed in Islamic studies.
His previous role as Chairman of the Kano State Pilgrims Board, where he managed the state’s significant pilgrim quota, must have played a role in his suitability for the NAHCON chairmanship. President Tinubu has tasked him with leading the commission with “integrity, transparency, and utmost fidelity to the nation.”
The appointment of Professor Usman follows a series of allegations against the former NAHCON chairman, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kotangora. The EFCC has been investigating the pair for their alleged involvement in financial misappropriation linked to funds allocated for the 2024 Hajj operations.
According to reports, the anti-graft agency uncovered a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme allegedly orchestrated by Arabi and Kotangora. The investigation, which began in 2022, was sparked by an EFCC operative who served on NAHCON’s Central Security Committee and reported various financial irregularities.
The EFCC’s findings include numerous infractions, such as the payment of estacodes (travel allowances) for a study tour that never occurred and payments made for consultancy services that were never rendered.
Additionally, the commission’s leadership is accused of mismanaging a N90 billion subsidy provided by the federal government for the 2024 Hajj. The EFCC investigation also revealed that the Saudi Arabian government refunded 20.6 million Saudi Riyals (SAR) to NAHCON for services that were either poorly rendered or not provided to Nigerian pilgrims and tour operators during the 2023 Hajj. However, despite this refund, the funds were allegedly misappropriated by Arabi and Kotangora.
One of the major allegations involves a consultancy fee controversially paid to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd, a company that Arabi allegedly engaged to “recover” the funds from the Saudi government. The EFCC discovered that the consultancy service was not actually rendered, and the contract was awarded after the funds had already been refunded to NAHCON.
The EFCC has since recovered the money. Additionally, the EFCC investigation uncovered significant overpayments made to Arabi, Kotangora, and other top officials, with discrepancies in the amounts they were entitled to receive versus what they actually paid themselves.
