The House of Representatives resolved on Thursday to form an ad hoc committee to evaluate the National Hajj Commission’s handling of the 2024 Hajj trip.
The House adopted the resolution after a motion made on the floor on Tuesday during the plenary session by Mr. Mohammed Bio, the member representing the Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency in Kwara State.
After the motion was approved, the House denounced the actions of the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board of the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) and NAHCON in the 2024 Hajj exercise. An ad hoc committee was then established to look into the actions of these organizations, as well as their agents and sub-agents, during the exercise.
Subsequently, the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, named the member representing Jibia/Kaita Federal Constituency, Katsina State, Sada Soli, the Chairman of the committee.
Titled, “Urgent need to investigate the National Hajj Commission and the Federal Capital Territory Administration Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, their agents, and sub-agents over shoddy arrangement and treatment of Nigerian pilgrims in the 2024 Hajj exercise,” the motion came on the floor of the green chamber as a matter of urgent public importance.
Describing the Hajj exercise as an important obligation in the life of every Muslim and one of the five pillars of Islam, Bio lamented that about 50,865 Muslim pilgrims across the states in Nigeria were under the care of NAHCON in 2024, noting that some of them were not taken care of in terms of welfare, organisation, guidance, and monitoring as expected.
The lawmaker warned that “If this poor performance of NAHCON is not investigated with a view to improve future performance, further Hajj exercise for Nigerian citizens may be more complicated and put the entire country in a bad light in the committee of nations.”
The committee has two weeks to report back to the Green Chamber for further legislative action.
