Findings by HAJJ REPORTERS indicate that the immediate past Secretary of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Dr. Abdullahi Rabiu Kontagora, was advised to resign his position as a result of the ongoing investigations by anti-corruption agencies.
The Commission had, in a statement Wednesday by its Head of Information and Publications Division, Fatima Sanda Usara, announced the resignation of Dr. Kontagora and the appointment of Alidu Shittu as acting Secretary.
Although the statement did not specify the reason for Dr. Kontagora’s resignation, HAJJ REPORTERS can confirm that he tendered his resignation about three weeks ago because of the ongoing investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding the utilization of the N90 billion released by the Federal Government as a “subsidy” for Hajj 2024 pilgrims.
The government had earlier announced the sack of the immediate past chairman of NAHCON, Jalal Arabi, over the allegations.
“Dr. Kontagora had to resign as a result of the ongoing probe, and I can tell you that he was advised to resign by the powers that be. It is part of ongoing efforts to reform and sanitize the commission,” a source at NAHCON informed HAJJ REPORTERS.
The source also added that, apart from the chairman and secretary, “other heads of Departments and Divisions who are found to have been involved and found wanting by the anti-corruption agencies will also be asked to resign their appointments.”
Dr. Kontagora’s resignation brings to three the number of high-profile officials who had left NAHCON this year.
The former head of Aviation, Dr. Goni Sanda, and a former coordinator of the Hajj Saving Scheme and a veteran Hajj administrator, Dr. Aliyu Tanko, both tendered their resignations earlier.
However, it is confirmed that the resignations of the two veteran Hajj officials had nothing to do with the ongoing investigations but were personal decisions.
