NAHCON board still incomplete, CSO tells Tinubu

A Hajj and Umrah Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint the remaining members of the board of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) as outlined in its establishment act.

The President, on October 17, 2023, announced the appointment of Mallam Jalal Ahmad Arabi as the Acting Chairman of the country’s apex Hajj regulatory body.

Additionally, the President announced additional members of the board and forwarded the same to the Senate for confirmation. They have all been confirmed and inaugurated into office.

IHR, in a statement on Thursday signed by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed, said the new board of NAHCON is still incomplete.

According to the statement, “Section 3 of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Establishment ACT 2006 under the composition of the leadership of the commission clearly states that the commission shall consist of – (a) a chairman, who shall be – (i) the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Commission; (ii) responsible to the Commission for the day-to-day management of the affairs of the Commission;

The statement noted that “(b) three full-time members and six part-time members representing each geo-political zone, provided that two of whom shall be women; (c) a representative each of the Ministry of – (i) Aviation; (ii) Foreign Affairs; (iii) Internal Affairs (Immigration); (iv) Finance; (v) Health; (d) a representative of the – (i) Central Bank of Nigeria; (ii) Jama’atul Nasril Islam; and (iii) Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.”

Based on the recent appointments by Mr. President, it is clear that representatives of some key agencies are still missing, and this may affect the smooth running of Hajj operations in the country.

“Board members representing the Ministries of Aviation, Health, Finance, and Internal Affairs (Immigration) have all not been announced. The same goes for the representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“These members often coordinate activities related to their establishments, and some of them are very important and cannot be ignored.

The structure of Hajj preparations and operations requires NAHCON to function at full operational capacity as envisaged by the framers of NAHCON Establishment act.

“For instance, the member representing the Ministry of Health should have been at the forefront of the ongoing recruitment of medical personnel for Hajj 2024.

In the same vein, the representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service should be helping secure passports for intending pilgrims just as the representatives of CBN and Aviation should have been helping with facilitating the needed foreign exchange and preparations of selected airlines,” IHR said.

The CSO, therefore, urges the President to appoint the representatives of these MDAs because of the important role they play in successful Hajj operations.