The Special Committee set up by the House of Representatives to probe the National Hajj Commission and the Federal Capital Territory Administration Muslim Pilgrims Board over their handling of the 2024 Hajj exercise has described the commission as “dirty.”
Back in July 2024, the Green Chamber established the panel following the adoption of a motion titled “Urgent Need to Investigate the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the FCTA Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board over the Shoddy Arrangements and Treatment of Nigerian Pilgrims During the 2024 Hajj Exercise,” sponsored by Omar Bio, the member representing the Buruten/Kaima Federal Constituency of Kwara State.
In May, President Bola Tinubu’s administration provided a N90bn subsidy for the 2024 Hajj exercise.
This move sparked discontent among many Nigerians, who argued that the subsidy, given the ongoing hardships exacerbated by the removal of the fuel subsidy, would have been better allocated to address more pressing needs than a religious obligation.
Despite the Federal Government’s intervention, some state governors lamented the handling of the operation by NAHCON, particularly the accommodation in Muna and the inadequate Basic Travel Allowance for pilgrims.
In August, President Tinubu responded to the growing controversy by relieving the embattled Chairman of the commission, Jalal Arabi, of his duties and replacing him with Abdullahi Usman.
