My choice as NAHCON chairman a privilege —Arabi

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THE acting chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Jalal Arabi, has declared his appointment by President Bola Tinubu as a privilege.

Moreover, he sought the support and cooperation of the commission’s staff on the repositioning of the hajj regulatory body for better service delivery to Nigerian pilgrims.

Arabi stated these while assuming duty at the Hajj House headquarters of the body in Abuja following his appointment on Tuesday by the president to lead the commission first in acting capacity till January 17, 2024 when he is expected to serve in substantive capacity for a term of four years.

He addressed the management and staff of the commission after being received at 11am in company with a former NAHCON chairman, Alhaji Abdullah Mukhtar, by the outgoing chairman, Alhaji Zilkrullah Hassan, represented by his Commissioner for Policy, Personnel, Management and Finance (PPMF), Alhaji Nura Yakasai.

Arabi thanked Allah for his appointment which he said is a call to join in building the nation.

“First, let me thank Allah who allowed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint me to this exalted position. It is indeed a rare privilege and it gives me all the hopes and gratitude to be able to come and join you in nation building.

“We are not the only ones in Nigeria; there are other Nigerians that equally could have been here, but Allah has put the burden on our shoulders. I know, just like you know, that Allah does not put a burden on a servant beyond what the servant can handle.

“Why I said we are so privileged and lucky to be here serving the nation through the commission is to suggest that if we all reflect, one of the fundamentals of our religion, Islam, that requires much physicality more than the others is Hajj.

“So, for us, it is such a privilege to come and participate in the discharge of that responsibility. Certainly, let us be the chosen ones and I feel it is an opportunity that we shouldn’t allow to slip from us,” Arabi said.

The acting chairman said his administration would be based on what he called “TSA.”

He said: “I know like all establishments, we have our mission and vision. I know that, of course, it is being pursued vigorously before now but certainly there is always room for improvement in whatever endeavour one finds himself.

“I have come with three nouns that will be so cardinal and, of course, will be laying on a tripod. I called them ‘TSA’ and my definition is entirely different from the TSA you know.”

Arabi declared the TSA tripod of NAHCON would be trust, sacrifice and Allah.

The acting chairman said the Renewed Hope agenda of the Tinubu administration was with a view to making things better in the country and as such, there had to be changes to address things that had gone bad.

Earlier, Alhaji Nura Yakasai congratulated the acting chairman on his appointment, saying Arabi came onboard at a critical time that there was a short time for preparations for the 2024 hajj.

“We congratulate you on your appointment. The outgoing chairman would have wished to be here but due to reasons beyond his control, he couldn’t make it. But I believe he will be here in the afternoon or when he will be able to meet you.

“Apart from that, I just want to mention that you are stepping into the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria at a critical time when all preparations for hajj are supposed to start or have already started.

“Unfortunately, this time around, the period, or time, given by the Saudi authorities is different from the traditional ones where we have sufficient time to do whatever we want to do or arrange but, you have a very short time.

“The assurance I will give is that you have capable staff here that can assist you to succeed and it is our hope and prayers that you will succeed,” Yakasai said.

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