By Pelumi Adesokan
The Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) has suspended its President, Abdullateef Yusuf Ekundayo, over allegations surrounding the allocation of 95 Hajj slots by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the 2027 pilgrimage.
The association announced the suspension in an internal memo dated October 25, 2026, signed by its Acting President, Ilkrimah Muhammad, on behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC).
According to the memo, the NEC received information that 95 Hajj slots had been obtained from NAHCON by Al Firdaous Hajj Services Ltd, a company owned by Ekundayo, without a formal bid or application for a 2027 Hajj licence.
The NEC described the development as a violation of the association’s constitution and principles of equity, integrity and collective representation.
The memo said the association wrote to Ekundayo on October 14, 2026, seeking clarification on whether his company had applied for the 2027 Hajj allocation and, if not, the circumstances surrounding the slots.
It stated that Ekundayo responded the following day through a text message rather than an official letter, explaining that he had been unable to complete his application while away for medical reasons. He also said he had appealed to NAHCON on behalf of his company and that the appeal had been approved.
In his response to AHUON’s demand, Ekundayo states, “You will remember I travelled out of the country last year immediately after Hajj to take care of my health; while I was away, I was unable to complete my application because i couldn’t get a bank guarantee. I wrote a letter of appeal to NAHCON on behalf of my company, stating my state of health and the number of pilgrims I had last year.
I also got in touch with colleagues about slots, and the response was zero. I never thought Nigeria would get additional slots until a few days ago when my appeal was approved, Ekundayo added
The NEC said it subsequently requested a formal response and a copy of the appeal letter allegedly submitted to NAHCON. However, it claimed that Ekundayo did not provide the requested documents.
According to the memo, the NEC wrote to NAHCON on October 22, 2026, expressing concern over the allocation and dissociating the association from the president’s actions. It also issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the return of the 95 slots to NAHCON and a formal response to its correspondence.
The NEC said it suspended Ekundayo on October 23 after he allegedly failed to comply with the demands.
The memo added that the association’s Board of Trustees (BoT) subsequently met with the suspended president, who maintained that he had not violated the association’s rules by collecting the slots without applying.
It said the BoT maintained that the issue involved the principles of equity and fairness to operators who had paid application fees and fulfilled the requirements but were denied allocations.
The association said Ekundayo would remain suspended pending the return of the 95 slots and his agreement to fulfil the conditions set by the NEC.
AHUON said it remained committed to promoting fairness and protecting the interests of Hajj and Umrah operators, urging members to work together to safeguard the integrity of the association and the industry.
