Tag: Hajj Commission

As preparations for the 2025 annual Hajj exercise intensify, the National Hajj Commission has sought the support, advice, and intervention of Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko to ensure the success of its mandate.

The Commission’s Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, led a delegation of top officials on a visit to Senator Wamakko’s Gawon Nama residence in Sokoto over the weekend.

Addressing the former governor, Usman explained that the visit was part of the Commission’s nationwide tour aimed at fostering collaboration, understanding, and public sensitization to guarantee a smooth Hajj operation in the country.

Senator Wamakko, who also serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, was commended for his ongoing contributions to national development.

Read Also: Why Hajj Commission mustbe reformed, by Presidency

“We also visited Borno, Lagos, and Kebbi states and today in Sokoto state considering the vital role played by you  (Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko) in assisting the affairs of the commission”, while stating that it was also to request your intervention in finding possible solution to reducing the cost of Hajj fares, especially from airline careers due  to skyrocketing forex exchange.

However, the Chairman disclosed that, 95,000 Hajj Seats were allocated to Nigeria for next year’s Hajj Exercise though decried the short space of time to enable the acquisition of the slots allotted due late payments of fares. 

He urged Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, representing Sokoto North District, to advocate for increased efforts by state governors in sensitizing intending pilgrims. 

Usman emphasized the need for Hajj agencies, boards, and commissions to encourage early payments by pilgrims to meet Saudi Arabia’s deadlines and facilitate smooth preparations for the 2025 Hajj exercise.

Usman also highlighted issues with Hajj fares, noting that while some airline operators have agreed to reduce prices, others remain unresponsive. 

He appealed for Senator Wamakko’s intervention in negotiating better deals and advocated for Hajj registration fees to be paid in Nigerian currency, which he described as more affordable than foreign currency options.

He further stressed that late registrations by state Hajj agencies often result in Nigerian pilgrims being accommodated far from the Holy Mosque. 

Early registration, he argued, would secure closer accommodations. Additionally, Usman recommended the adoption of a Hajj Saving Scheme (HSS) to allow intending pilgrims to save in installments through Islamic banks over a few years.

Responding, Senator Wamakko congratulated Usman on his appointment and acknowledged the challenges of high Hajj fares, which he described as concerning. 

He urged the Commission to advise the government on ways to reduce costs and expressed dissatisfaction with the $400 travel allowance allocated to pilgrims, calling it inadequate.

“The amount seems insufficient and needs to be reconsidered by the authorities,” Wamakko said, promising to engage relevant stakeholders to address these concerns.

He also advised the Commission to exercise patience and provide better support for pilgrims, particularly during their stay in the holy land.

The Chairman of the Sokoto Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Alhaji Aliyu Musa, led the delegation accompanying Professor Usman to Senator Wamakko’s residence. 

The entourage included prominent officials such as Professor Abubakar Abubakar Yagawal, Bukar Babagana, Sirajo Saleh Usman, Abubakar Ka’oje, Abubakar Abdulmalik Diggi, Rabi’u Na-Allah, Dr. Danbaba Haruna, and Abba Bulama.

• ‘NEMA need creative approach to funding’

A systemic reform of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) will be undertaken, the Presidency said yesterday.

The action will be sweeping will focus on negligence, maltreatment of pilgrims and late preparation for the pilgrimage, among others.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, dropped this hint during a fact-finding visit to NAHCON headquarters in continuation of his tour of agencies under the Presidency.

Among those on his entourage is Deputy Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Hadeija.

The delegations 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.

Read Also: Tinubu seeks Senate confirmation of chairman, members of Hajj Commission

Addressing the challenges at NAHCON, Gbajabiamila said: “This is a commission that 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 that is set up to fulfil religious and spiritual obligations for men and women of faith.

‘’So we are always surprised, even while I was Speaker, those issues that should never come up arise in 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 to 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 end up sometimes not conducting themselves the way 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.

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 pilgrim operations.

Prince Malam Abdulrazak, NAHCON’s Executive Commissioner, Policy, Personnel Management and Finance, called for an overhaul of the Commission’s accounting system and improvement of federal character representation in the organisation.

“The Commission is described as a national entity, but the federal character is not fully represented.

“If you go through the nominal roll, it is dominated by a particular region,” Abdulrazak said.

At NEMA, the Chief of Staff stressed the need to shift disaster management in Nigeria from a reactive to a proactive approach.

‘’In turning the page, we must look more closely at the area of prevention because a lot of these disasters can be prevented,” he said.

Gbajabiamila suggested exploring creative funding methods, including state contributions through an insurance scheme.

NEMA Director-General,  Mrs Zubaida Umar, said from January 2024 to date, the agency has provided 626,000 essential relief items to over 100,000 people across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

According to her, these include 288,875 food items, over 300,000 non-food items, and over 26,000 building materials.