THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has questioned some top officials of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over multibillion naira alleged fraud.
The anti-graft commission, this newspaper authoritatively learned, is investigating the top officials over the loss of public funds amounting to about N50 billion under the stewardship of Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman (Pakistan).
During the 2025 Hajj alone, Mr Pakistan has midwifed the alleged squander of N25 billion on Masha’ir tents, N1.6 billion on spouses, and N7.9 billion on Makkah contingency houses. There are also cases of bloated expenditure for NAHCON officials, stakeholders, spouses, amounting to about N4 billion. This, the official report said, “represents a considerable financial inefficiency.”
The top officials grilled so far include Abdulmalik Diggi, a deputy director (accounts) and special adviser (general services) to the C/CEO; Sirajo Usman Salisu, deputy director in the chairman’s office; Barrister Nura Danladi, the commission’s legal adviser, and the NAHCON Chairman’s immediate past chief detail Jajere.
The EFCC investigation, it was further learned, has triggered a blame game among the full-time commissioners in the commission, with each of them distancing themselves from the financial mess.
This newspaper understands that the Commissioner, Policy, Personnel and Finance, Aliu Abdulrazak, and that of Operations, Prince Anofi Elegushi, have individually written the Presidency, distancing themselves from the alleged financial sleaze.
This newspaper had earlier reported that the commission under Mr Pakistan wasted at least N8 billion on 6,200 “contingency bed spaces” for non-existent pilgrims in Makkah during the 2025 Hajj.
However, an official report sighted by this newspaper revealed that the funds wasted on the contingency apartments that were never used include three hotels fully paid with a total bed capacity of 1,472 that even the commission couldn’t identify or locate. The other identified property used, according to an official document, are Asalah Almaqam, Kairuan Almashaer, Esnad AlMashaer, WafAbi Umar, An Nusur AlAbruh, Rashid Silver, and Ramfat Ramzi Alketbi, with a combined bed spaces of 6,268.
This newspaper also uncovered that the commission is currently owing about N59 billion, comprising the debts of Saudi catering and accommodation companies, 15 percent airlines’ debts, state pilgrim boards’ service revenue, refunds of over 2,700 pilgrims who didn’t travel to Hajj, among others.
Insiders told our reporters that the total balance in the NAHCON accounts can’t liquidate these piling debts. “The balances in all the NAHCON accounts can only settle about 70 percent of the debts as I speak to you now. The commission is broke! That is the reality,” a top official in the commission familiar with the matter told this newspaper.
The NAHCON Board Members, it was gathered, have also vowed not to attend any meeting in the commission until the right things are done. The board is insisting that Mr Pakistan gives them the proposed and approved budget for the 2025 Hajj operation, as well as the expenditure profile.
Insiders are saying that the NAHCON chairman is still foot-dragging in meeting the board members’ demand.
The board members’ demand for the financial records is causing ripples inside the commission, “because the budget was not prepared by them as required in the NAHCON Act.”
Sections 12 and 13 of the NAHCON Act 2006 stipulate that the “commission,” not the chairman, “shall prepare and submit” the budget estimates to the President for approval.
Section 13 states that the commission “shall keep proper accounts and records, in relation to its fund, in accordance with the Public Accounts Rules and Guidelines issued by the Accountant-General of the Federation.”
Section 3 of the act states that the “commission” shall comprise the chairman, three full-time members, and six part-time members representing each geopolitical zone of the country; one representative each from the Aviation, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs (Immigration), Finance, Health ministries, as well as representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI), and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
However, the board members and the commissioners are accusing Professor Pakistan of sidelining them, by “single-handedly preparing the budget without their inputs.”
Stakeholders in Saudi Arabia said the EFCC is coming too late. They said for the first time in the history of the current commission, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had to create a “Special Team” for Nigerian pilgrims. “The team was created due to the operational lapses, managerial inefficiency, poor leadership that marred the Nigerian Hajj Mission. This was the worst Hajj organised by Nigeria in recent past. We are just praying for a change of guard in the Nigerian Hajj Mission,” the various stakeholders in Saudi Arabia who spoke to this newspaper, said.
Some officials in NAHCON who spoke to this newspaper on the condition that their identities would not be revealed said the “only way to salvage the precarious situation is to suspend the NAHCON chairman to allow for a robust investigation.”
They also requested for a total overhaul of the Hajj commission. “It is an open secret that the Hajj commission urgently needs a total overhaul. Everything is upside down now,” one of the senior staff members said.
Some top officials privy to the meeting between deputy Saudi Hajj minister, had to look at the NAHCON leadership during one of their meetings, told them point blank to ‘fear Allah.’ He said the pilgrims services were below standard because the commission leadership has been compromised.
Sources at the EFCC said some of the officials spent over three days in their custody. Mr Danladi, who was arrested on Monday was only released on bail on Thursday evening.
The anti-graft sources say the corruption in the commission is outrageously scary.
“This is an organization that is supposed to be religious and spiritual. It is worrisome the level of graft we uncovered so far,” one of the officials said.
It will be recalled that Zikirullah Kunle Hassan’s tenure is still being investigated over serious corruption allegations, with him under bail. His successor, Jalal Ahmad Arabi, is also on bail over corruption scandals. It is not clear what would be the fate of Mr Pakistan if eventually taken in bearing in mind the preponderance of corruption allegations in public domain and the confessions made by his staff grilled by the EFCC.