By: Abubakar Jiddah Usman
Sadly, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has been in the news on a yearly basis since its inception, minus its formative years, for almost always the wrong reasons. It is almost always bedeviled and inundated with all sorts of allegations of sleaze and other negativities that negate its status as an all-important institution of one of the fundamental pillars of Islam.
For fifty years now (1975, when the Federal Government became involved in Hajj affairs, to date), Nigerian Muslims have yet to master the art of a seamless Hajj exercise devoid of avoidable throwbacks after each operational year. These annual bickering led to the establishment of the Commission, yet we are still where we were. Candidly speaking, I don’t know when and how we will be out of this quagmire.
Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, the first chairman, was lucky, in that he lasted the formative years of the Commission, in which he supervised its take off. But Malam Abdullahi Mukhtar endured a lot to build on the foundation he contributed to laying and stabilising the Commission. Yes you may wish to argue, but his efforts are there for all to see, his omissions, and or commissions are his cross to carry. Then came Barrister Zikhrullah, who was never spared. After him, Jalaluddeen, rightly or wrongly he has been pushed aside. Now Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman of Pakistan is also having his own baptism of what Hajj operations in Nigeria are notoriously known for.
I have written and spoken before that the Islamic scholar was probably appointed to smear Islamic scholarship and scholars. Hajj operation is not the same as teaching Hajj rituals. If the Commission was meant for the latter, then you have a perfect head, but the Commission being meant for the former, then you have all reasons to be disturbed in having him to lead.
The Nigerian Hajj industry. I have known for years, it’s a good example of where not to have a Pakistani as a navigator, unless the aim is to tarnish his and Islamic scholars’ image, nay Islam itself. Anyone conversant with the industry knows what I’m referring to. It is an industry, except for a few individuals, where envy, corruption, pull him down, cutting corners for quick ill-gotten glitters of this transient world etc, are embedded. For the records, the first chairman of Hajj affairs in Nigeria, the late Shaykh Abubakar Mahmoud Gummi, was almost poisoned in Saudi Arabia. That alone tells you how the industry in Nigeria is. How do we solve that? I categorically say I don’t know. However, if we all Nigerian Muslims would tame our desire for materialism and be concerned about what answers we give Allah on the day of reckoning, probably we might have solved half of the problems bedeviling Hajj operations in Nigeria, the other half can be handled by, early, timely and proper arrangements and preparations carrying all stakeholders along.
For this year’s Hajj, ever since the chairman’s first visit to the holy land it has been one hurdle, or another. Any observer can attest to this.
The latest hurdle is that of the Tour Operators. They may have genuine grievances, which those in the know should assist in intervening to solve. Unfortunately, for some reason, these individuals would not advise settlement, because, probably, in their reasoning, the end result of the crisis would be to their benefit.
Others might say, the chairman himself is the architect of the crises since his assumption of office. The question is what advice and what measures outside of going to the press has one taken to put him on the right course!?
Unfortunately, what others do, as I have been intermittently following is putting more salt to the injury, believing tit-for-tat is the way forward. This approach is disgusting and disheartening as the end result is an ill wind that blows no one, or Islam and the Muslim Ummah in general, any good.
Therefore, in my opinion, it is still not too late to take a genuine step in the Name of Allah and for His sake to tame the tide and chart a course that we all will say, Alhamdulillah Bi Ni’imatihi Tatimmusalihat!
