The House of Representatives has decided to form an ad-hoc committee to investigate the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) regarding its management of the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage.
This decision came after a motion was presented by Mohammed Bio, the representative for Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency in Kwara State, during a plenary session on Tuesday. The House criticized the performance of both NAHCON and the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board during the 2024 Hajj and agreed to investigate their activities, along with those of their agents and sub-agents.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, appointed Sada Soli, the representative for Jibia/Kaita Federal Constituency in Katsina State, as the chairman of the committee. The motion, titled “Urgent need to investigate the National Hajj Commission and the Federal Capital Territory Administration Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, their agents, and sub-agents over shoddy arrangement and treatment of Nigerian pilgrims in the 2024 Hajj exercise,” was considered a matter of urgent public importance.
Bio emphasized the significance of the Hajj pilgrimage in Islam and expressed concern that many of the 50,865 Muslim pilgrims from Nigeria were not adequately cared for in terms of welfare, organization, guidance, and monitoring. He noted that despite the large fees paid by the pilgrims, NAHCON’s budget allocation, a N90 billion intervention from the Federal Government, and support from the Saudi Arabian Government, the performance of NAHCON and the FCTA Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board was disappointing, especially in Makkah and Mina.
Bio warned that if NAHCON's poor performance is not investigated and improved, future Hajj exercises for Nigerian citizens could become more problematic and damage the country’s reputation internationally.
The committee is expected to report back to the House within two weeks for further legislative action.
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