By Shehu Usman Muhammad, PhD.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent and the Merciful. May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon His beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his companions and all those whom followed his footsteps to the day of resurrection.
The Nigerian Muslim Ummah recently witnessed a significant transition in the leadership of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). With the resignation of Professor Abdullahi Usman Saleh, (popularly known as Abdullahi Pakistan), Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf has been appointed and confirmed as the sixth Chairman of the Commission. His arrival at Hajj House, Abuja, marks a new chapter in the management of Hajj Affairs in Nigeria.
A Legacy of Service. Since its establishment, NAHCON has been steered by distinguished leaders including Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, Barr. Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, (MON), Barr. Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, Mallam Jalal Ahmad Arabi fwc and Professor Abdullahi Pakistan. Each contributed to the growth of the Hajj industry. it is therefore expected that Ambassador Yusuf will build on their efforts while charting a new course. What you require now is the prayers of the Ummah for a successful tenure while we continue to pray for the previous Chairmen for their contributions to the Hajj industry. We are equally requesting them to continue to offer useful suggestions to you as at when appropriate. They should consider advising you as a religious obligation which they must fulfil. The entire Nigerian Muslim community are as well expected to be praying for your success and for the success of others.
Call for Support to the New Chairman/CEO; I am under pressure, as an obligation, to provide some suggestions to you as the new Chairman/CEO of the Commission. I am making mine suggestion publicly because I want to motivate others to do so publicly or in private. I have been around the Hajj industry since 1994 even before the creation of the Commission and the little time I spent in the Commission with Professor Abdullahi Saleh from September 2024 – January 2025 gave me the opportunity to understand the complex nature, the challenges and immense opportunities for the rapid growth of the Hajj industry under the Commission’s Regulatory Mandate. I noticed that the Commission is living in “one world” while the Ummah, which the Commission is serving is in a “different world” due to poor understanding of its mandate, operations, challenges and its untapped potentials to not only conduct hitch free Hajj operation but also to contribute immensely in reducing poverty in the society. I want to use this opportunity to invite the serving and retired stakeholders, friends of NAHCON and others (like me) as a responsibility, to kindly share their experiences and proffer some suggestions to the new Chairman. That would enable him learn fast due to constraint of time to the next Hajj season, even though, from his profile he has good experience from the defunct Directorate of Pilgrims’ Affairs and his numerous foreign services.
Let me appeal to Ambassador Yusuf to find time to read this piece and others coming from other concerned Nigerians. While admonishing the Chairman/CEO, we must be guided by absolute sincerity and the fear of Allah, without unnecessary pushing blame from one person to another. This is the main purpose of this write up. May Allah accept this little contribution as an act of Ibadah from us. Amin.
Key Challenges identified; Ambassador Yusuf assumes office at a time of mounting challenges before the Commission including huge but somewhat deliberate media controversy about the Commission, rising Hajj fares and negative public perception of the Commission, weak communication channels and poor staff motivation, over-centralization of responsibilities at the Headquarters, leaving zonal offices underutilized, poor Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Techniques in the Commission just to mention a few.
On the NAHCON’s relationship with some relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other stakeholders, there are some communication gaps (at least in the last one year), thus the need for NAHCON to develop appropriate working relations through the development of suitable Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs). Some of the key MDAs and institutions includes but not limited to the National Assembly due to their various oversight functions, Central Bank of Nigeria, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, Other Financial Institutions, Ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Public Procurement, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Customs and Immigration Services, the ICPC and EFCC, Air Carriers, FAAN, NCAA, Media organizations to mention but few. Each of these institutions need to have better understanding of NAHCON and its operations particularly the heavy demand on the Commission by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for complying with its periodically Fickling Annual Hajj Calendar and its always changing policies. These changes usually disrupt every plan of the Commission due the absence of alternative plans.
