SOME Nigerian pilgrims officials, popularly called NAHCON stakeholders, have protested in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, over unpaid allowances.
The protest took place at the Nuzha Funduk Asalatuk Maqaam hotel in Makkah city, around 4 pm (local time) on Monday.
The hotel is housing over 700 adhoc officials sponsored to the holy land by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), under the “stakeholder” category.
The protesters had urged President Bola Tinubu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to come to their aid by probing the Hajj commission’s leadership.
The pilgrims held placards in front of the hotel with inscriptions thus: “EFCC must help us,” “NAHCON has shortchanged us,” President Tinubu must hear this,” NAHCON is not doing well,” among others.
One of the protesters told this newspaper that, “what we did was a peaceful protest to draw attention to the fact that the Hajj commission is shortchanging us. NAHCON is paying us 350 U.S. dollar as BTA, whereas it was 500 U.S dollar that was approved by the Presidency.”
“That is why we want President Bola Tinubu and EFCC to investigate this matter and whoever is found wanting should face the full wrath of the law. It is disheartening to use the cover of religion and perpetrate fraud,” one of the protesters, who declined being named for fear of victimization, said.
This newspaper learned that the commission has reportedly delayed the payment of the BTA to the stakeholders till after Arafat, with only fewer of them paid before the Hajj.
The commission has sponsored over 2000 officials to Saudi Arabia for 2025 Hajj under many categories that include NAHCON staff, media, medical, ulama, spouses of officials, among others.
This newspaper reports that the “stakeholders team” was first introduced during the administration of pioneer NAHCON chairman Muhammad Musa Bello. It was introduced as “institutional stakeholders” of mainly officers from federal agencies and offices that have working relationship with the commission during Hajj.
The institutional stakeholders were not more than 20 throughout the tenures of Mr Bello and his successor Barr. Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad.
The 20 stakeholder seats were shared to officers in the offices of the president, vice president, SGF, Head of Service of the Federation, Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Accountant General of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Finance, National Security Adviser, among others.
“The idea behind it (institutional stakeholders) was to enhance communications with these entities through their representatives during Hajj operation,” a staff of the commission said.
But the institutional stakeholders system, another insider said, was first bastardized during Barr. Zikirullah Hassan’s tenure, where he appointed over 200 people as stakeholders — mainly family members, cronies, ans friends — with allegations that most of the seats were sold to highest bidders which led to an investigation by the EFCC. Mr Ahmad Jalal Arabi only consolidated on Mr Zikirullah’s infamous legacy.
Officials of the commission lamented that it was Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman that further bastardized the system by appointing 726 people as stakeholders this year.
It was however gathered that some of the stakeholders must have bought their seats through from some of the commission’s officials with the understanding that they would be paid 500 U.S dollar BTA. “They were enraged when they realized that they were given 350 U.S dollar instead of the agreed 500,” a source within the commission said.
On May 14, 2025, some Nigerian newspapers reported how the commission denied state pilgrims boards official Hajj visa, and allegedly sold them to interested individuals as “stakeholders” for N7.5 million each.
Some staffers of the commission have called on EFCC to investigate the accounts of the commission, particularly the payment to stakeholders. They also urged thorough scrutiny of the accounts of some close aides of the commission’s chairman and their immediate families.
The spokesperson of NAHCON, Fatima Sanda Usara, couldn’t be reached by telephone on Monday.
But in a video posted on his Facebook page Monday night, a member of the NAHCON 2025 National Media Team, Nasiru Adamu El-Hikaya, has confirmed the incident through interviews with some witnesses in the hotel.
Mr El-Hikaya, however , only interviewed members of the Ulama (clerics) team who tried to confirmed the incident but condemned the stakeholders pilgrims for protesting over the BTA. He didn’t interview any of the “stakeholders” involved in the protest.
Observers have said it is illegal to transport pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and delay their BTA or deny them completely.
As a fallout of this, this newspaper gathered that the commission is planning to organize two special flights between Friday and Saturday to evacuate the stakeholders back to Nigeria to avert escalation of the problem.