Stakeholders in the Hajj industry have called for the review of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Act to enhance effective and efficient service delivery to Nigerian pilgrims.
The stakeholders contend that reviewing or repealing the Act would resolve conflicts of interest and ensure that the private sector entirely drives the Hajj operation.
Speaking at the discussion on Hajj Reform 2025 – ‘The role of tour operators’- organised by the Abuja Zone of Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) in Abuja yesterday, Barrister Babangida Umar, said the total overhauling of the NAHCON’s act is long overdue, describing the absence of representative of the private hajj operators (Tour Operators) on the board of NAHCON is an aberration.
“The Total overhaul of NAHCON’s law is long overdue. Travel agencies (Tour Operators/State Pilgrims Welfare Agencies) are not specifically represented on the board of NAHCON. There is a compelling case for amending section 3 to admit the representatives of travel Agencies since they generate 100 per cent of the pilgrims and revenue. NAHCON will have no business with Hajj without them,” Umar said.
Umar expressed concerns about NAHCON’s shift from a regulatory body to an operator. “NAHCON should be encouraged to focus on its core mandate: policy, regulation, consular, health and licensing functions and discontinue the current practice in which it functions both as a regulator and operator based on the transitional provisions of section 23 of the Act.”
The managing director of Comerel Travels, Ustaz Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad, said the drafters of the NAHCON Act had done well in recognising the travel agencies; he said they should be changed to tour operators.
He said Nigerian pilgrims deserve the best, and part of the reform is to kick out Saudi service providers, muassasah. “The pilgrims deserve the best, but Saudi service providers have been failing, and henceforth, we will accept that service provider from NAHCON,” Muhammad said.
Meanwhile, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Hadeija, have called for reforms within the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to address financial mismanagement, negligence, maltreatment of pilgrims, and late preparation for the pilgrimage exercises.
The Presidency officials made these remarks during a fact-finding visit to NAHCON headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday as part of their engagement with government agencies under the supervision of the State House.
According to a statement by the media office of the state house, earlier in the day, they also visited the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), where Gbajabiamila highlighted the potential role of states in providing funding to the Agency through an insurance scheme or other means.
Addressing the challenges at NAHCON, Gbajabiamila stated:
”This Commission should not be found in any controversy simply because of its mandate and what it represents.
”It’s a religious commission. It’s a commission to fulfil religious and spiritual obligations for men and women of faith.
”So we are always surprised, even when I was a speaker, about issues that should never arise about this Commission.
”Pilgrims travel every year to fulfil an Islamic religious obligation. Not only that, when they’re there, they’re there as ambassadors of Nigeria.
”As ambassadors of Nigeria, it is expected that they will carry the emblem and the flag of Nigeria on their full chest to represent and show both in demeanour and conduct who and what we are.
”But many times, our pilgrims and fellow Nigerians face maltreatment or lack of proper organisation from this Commission, and they sometimes end up not conducting themselves as they should.
”The buck stops at the table of the Commission, and you must accept responsibility for what goes on here and in Saudi Arabia when Nigerian pilgrims are there,” he said.
Regarding the recent controversy in the Commission that led to the appointment of a new Executive Chairman, Gbajabiamila urged the Management staff to work closely with the Office of the Vice President, which oversees the agency, to identify past mistakes, make corrections and ensure seamless operations for pilgrims.
”What happened has happened, and we are here to chart a way forward. It is time that the system of the Commission is reformed in such a way that it aligns with Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
Gbajabiamila expressed optimism for a new chapter in the Commission’s operations, stressing, ”Hajj is not supposed to cause pain to the pilgrims.”
The Deputy Chief of Staff echoed the Chief of Staff’s position, emphasising the need for early preparation for Hajj operations.
”Hajj is essentially a big-logistics operation. I was involved in the 2024 operation, and one of the key lessons learned is the need for early preparation.
”Nigeria has the largest quota of pilgrims from Africa, and we have countries whose quota is less than that of a state in Nigeria.
”The Hajj Commission also needs to be more transparent in informing pilgrims what they are paying for,” Hadeija said.
In his remarks, Prince Malam Abdulrazak, NAHCON’s Executive Commissioner, Policy, Personnel Management and Finance, called for overhauling the Commission’s accounting system and improving federal character representation within the organisation.
”The Commission is described as a national entity, but the federal character needs to be fully represented. If you go through the nominal roll, it is dominated by a particular region,” Abdulrazak said.
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