Reps set up panel to probe NAHCON over ‘poor treatment’ of 2024 pilgrims

The house of representatives has resolved to probe the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over the alleged mishandling of the 2024 hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.

During the plenary session on Thursday, Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, named a nine-member special committee to probe NAHCO and the federal capital territory administration’s (FCTA) Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board for “poor” arrangements and treatment of the Nigerian pilgrims during the hajj exercise.

The committee is chaired by Sada Soli, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member from Katsina state.

The speaker set up the committee after the adoption of a motion titled ‘Urgent need to investigate the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the FCTA Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board over the shoddy arrangement and treatment of Nigerian pilgrims during the 2024 hajj exercise’.

Umar Bio, an APC member from Kwara state, sponsored the motion.

Bala Mohammed and Umar Bago, governors of Bauchi and Niger, respectively, criticised NAHCON over the alleged poor treatment of the pilgrims.

While moving the motion, Bio said NAHCON and the FCTA Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board performed poorly despite the “huge” funds paid by pilgrims and allocated by the government.

“Despite NAHCON’s 2024 budget allocation, intervention from the federal government to the tune of N90 billion, and support from the government of Saudi Arabia, NAHCON’s and FCTA Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board’s performance in the 2024 hajj exercise, especially in Makkah and Mina, is unexpected,” the lawmaker said.

The legislator said if NAHCON is not investigated to improve future performance, the hajj exercise for Nigerian citizens may be “more complicated and put the entire country in a bad light in the comity of nations”.

“About 50,865 Muslim pilgrims across the states in Nigeria were under the care of NAHCON, and some of them were not taken care of in terms of welfare, organization, guidance, and monitoring as expected.”

The motion was adopted when it was put to a voice vote by the speaker of the house.