How the National Hajj Commission navigated the country out of a storm

By Bashir Bello

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), no doubt is one of the popular Federal Government agencies under the presidency. Its mandate and responsibility of ensuring smooth participation of Nigerian Muslims in the holy land of Saudi Arabia over the years since its establishment has been remarkable given the challenges yearly faced in an operation as large as registering, documenting, airlifting, accommodating and ensuring that the pilgrims performed a successful Hajj operation.

For an agency like NAHCON to succeed whoever heads the commission must be competent and hard working. Therefore the appointment of Mallam Jalal Ahmad Arabi by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the chairman of the commission was highly applauded by various stakeholders and analysts. His appointment many agreed was based on his competence, diligent and unblemished record as a principled public servant who has served dutifully with his legal qualification and experience over years before saddled with the cumbersome task of organizing the herculean task of the Nigerian yearly Hajj operation.

As expected he quickly hit the ground running and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) under his watch saw a rapid improvement in its services despite the current socio-economy and political challenges facing the country and largely the whole globe. The critical moment for the commission under him came during his few months in office as the nation prepared for the 2024 Hajj. This monumental event involves overcoming numerous challenges, but the commission under his watch was able to overcome the hurdles and operation apart from few hitches, the operation was successful.

Throughout the entire preparatory process, The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) ensured that collaboration with key stakeholders was paramount. Executive Chairmen and Secretaries (ES) of State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards (SPWBs) formed part of our decision-making caucus. They also played an integral role in the smooth execution of this year’s pilgrimage. The Commission did not take any major decision without consultation with SPWBs and indeed the Tour Operators.

After successful inspection and negotiation of cost-of-service delivery for the intending pilgrims to 2024 Hajj, the Hajj fare was totaled to cost $5,692.25; a reduction from 2023 Hajj fare of $6,401.31 at the exchange rate of N456.00. The first and significant challenge the commission encountered during the early stage was the slow remittance of Hajj fares by pilgrims. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria NAHCON’s plan was to close registration early to provide it ample time to conclude arrangements. This plan could not materialize stemming from multiple requests from various State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards (SPWBs), Ulamas, State Governors and other stakeholders for various extensions of deadlines to allow more intending pilgrims to register for the Hajj.

The Commission succumbed in national interest, leading to delays that impacted their planning and calculation of the final Hajj fare.

But the cooperation and resilience of all involved parties ensured that the planning was not adversely affected as each stakeholder rose to the challenge. But the commission still had one major challenge before it – the cost of Hajj fare. The unforeseen spike in foreign exchange rates totally complicated matters, necessitating fresh adjustment of the year’s Hajj fare from the initially announced N4.9m. The financial projection after the foreign exchange liberalization was that each pilgrim would have to top-up about 3.6 million Naira, this in addition to the initial payment; this situation impelled urgent intervention.

Recognizing the gravity of the situation NAHCON promptly engaged with the Federal Government to mitigate the effects of the high cost of the foreign currency with an appeal for government to approve a concessionary rate of N850 as exchange rate for the Dollar component of the Hajj fare. That appeal was further augmented by other reputable stakeholders in the project and to their relief President Bola Tinubu promptly approved N90 billion Naira to ensure the success of the Hajj; although this move by the president as expected drew criticisms from some quarters but the importance of the programme as regard to the country’s image and the importance of this sacred rites I believe made the president to prudently and rightly comprehended was more important than monetary obstacle.

NAHCON on its part swiftly worked out a distribution strategy by ensuring that all stakeholders associated with the 2024 Hajj benefited from the financial stability from the federal government’s support. Each pilgrim that paid for the 2024 Hajj through the government quota was supported with the sum of N1.6 million due to the instability of the naira. For this reason, all registered intending pilgrims, except those on HSS, were required to pay a balance of N1,918,094.87 since the N90 billion was not sufficient to make up for the balance. However, new registrants were asked to pay N8, 454,464.74 being exempted from the Federal Government’s intervention. It is equally reported and on record that eligible officials and stakeholders from all tiers of government enjoyed the subsidy from the N90 billion.

I think the Jalal Arabi led administration at NAHCON should rather be commended given the fact that the 2024 Hajj operation through his management did a tremendous job by being able to effectively navigate the country out of the glaring embarrassing monetary issue. Again, it is very important to extol the Public Affairs department with a seasoned journalist like Hajia Fatima Usara Sanda and the vibrant media team for their effective and efficient information dissemination to the public on the 2024 Hajj right from inception. There was a concrete presentation of the movement of pilgrims, their location and the challenges usually associated with pilgrims all over the world during the sacred Hajj operation. Nigerians like any other Muslim pilgrim at the 2024 Hajj could never be exempted from these challenges in the holy land. We grow bigger and more developed if we practice the universal culture of appreciating and encouraging those among us whose duty is to make things easier and better for our collective gain. It is of my believe then that the National Hajj commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and its management including the most junior staff of the commission down to the gatemen should be applauded for ensuring that the 2024 Hajj operation crushed all the hurdles that were poised to derail its smooth takeoff and shame the country and its large Muslim Umma.

By Bashir Bello is an Abuja-based journalist. He can be reached via bdollarsimage@gmail.com