FRESH scandal is rocking the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over spending over N1.64 billion on 400 spouses of its workers during 2025 Hajj.
The amount was expended on the purported spouses of the 274 staff as subsidies for the religious pilgrimage.
The outrage was triggered by the justification for selling a Hajj seat at N4.5 million to its staff members spouses and N8.7 million to regular pilgrims.
The number of spouses which nearly doubled the number of the sponsored workers to Hajjj has further deepened suspicion that the bloated spouse slots were sold to highest bidders.
Further findings have shown that every worker selected for the Hajj operation is statutorily entitle to at least one spouse for the year — with the exception of the top management and board members (about 20 of them) who sometimes get not more than two.
By this, the total number of the spouses should be 294, but official NAHCON documents showing the names, passport numbers and telephone numbers of the purported spouses revealed discrepancies— as majority of the spouses names do not correspond with the workers’ names.
Investigations by this newspaper have shown that the NAHCON spouse package was introduced because staff members stay between 35 to 40 days in Saudi Arabia without their spouses; as well as enable the workers sponsor their spouses to Hajj — not through fraudulent means.
The policy was fashioned out as a reduced package for workers of the commission where some components of the Hajj fare are removed and to be provided for the staff members who purchases the Spouse Package.
Officials documents reviewed by this newspaper revealed that some of the components removed are Makkah Accommodation, Makkah Feeding, BTA, Madina Feeding and others.
These are supposed to be provided by the affected staff members from their allowances (Estacode).
Further findings have shown that from 2006 – 2020, the policy under the first, second and third boards led by Mallam Musa Bello and Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad respectively, the strict compliance to the definition of spouse was applied as such spouse only wife and children where allowed. During this period, every staff member was allocated one slot except the executive members appointed.
It was from 2020 – 2023 during the fourth board led by Mr Zikrullah Kunle Hassan that the policy application started to deviate from the previous boards, when relatives and family friends were allowed as spouses this — leading to selling of the spouse seats by staff whilst knowing fully well that the package does not comprise of all components like a regular pilgrim package. This deviation left many stranded in Makkah with no accommodation and BTA.
During Mr Zikirullah’s stint, every staff member below directorate cadre was allocated one slot, while the directorate cadre were allocated three and the executive members five each. A retired officer who worked through the first and fourth boards told this newspaper that it was during Mr Zikirullah that the policy was first bastardized and it continued up to today.
From 2023 -2024, during the fifth board led by Mr Jalal Ahmed Arabi, the policy was somewhat reversed back to the application of the first, second and third boards, whereby only immediate family members and siblings were allowed but later on In-laws were permitted. One slot was allocated for staff members below directorate cadre, while directorate cadre was allocated two.
However, from 2024 – 2025, that is the fifth board under Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, there is no policy concerning spouse allocation whatsoever. This has led to a selling frenzy free for all. Staff members from below level 10 were allocated one slot each, while staff members from level 12– 14 were allocated two slots, Assistant Directors three slots, while deputy directors and directors were allocated four and seven slots each.
Findings by this newspaper after cost analysis of the staff estacode and the cost of the spouse seats have shown that very few staff can afford to sponsor more than one spouse.
Using the allocation for spouse which cost N4,570,546.56 during the 2025 Hajj, the estacode of respective levels is as follows: Level 1 – 6 gets $250/day x 30 days = $7,500, which is equivalent to N11,250,000. Level 7 – 14 gets $381/day x 30 days = $11,430, which is equivalent to N17,145,000; while Level 15 – 17 gets $425/day * 30 days =$12,750, equivalent N19,125,000.
The implication is that Level 1-6 officers would have a balance of N6,679,453.44 after removing cost of one spouse; Level 7-10 would be left with N12,574,453.44 after deducting cost of one spouse; Level 12-14 will go home with N8,003,906.88 after paying for two spouses; Level 15 would earn N5,413.360.32 after removal of the cost of three spouses; while Level 16-17 would be left with N842,813.76 after deduction for four spouses.
By the foregoing analysis, Level 1 – 14 officers can comfortably pay for the staff member and still have funds left to pay for Makkah Accommodation and upkeep whilst in Saudi for themselves and the spouses they brought with them.
On the other hand, Level 15 (assistant directors) will be at the hard place as even the cheapest Makkah accommodation cost about SR2000 (about N800,000), totaling N3,204,272.36 for the staff of them (three spouse and one staff), which leaves about N2,209,087.96 (about SR5,515.36) for upkeep of four persons for 30 days which will not be enough realistically speaking.
Also, Level 16 – 17 officers, the cost analysis have shown, cannot possibly pay for four spouse seats and have any funds left for their upkeep as well as the spouses they brought along which raises a lot of questions.
A thorough review of the spouse list has shown that a director Alidu Shutti (Level 17) has brought five spouses plus himself to 2025 Hajj at the cost of N22,852,732.80. This leaves a deficit of N3,727,732.80 out of his total estacode of N19,125,000.00.
Wafiyya Mustapha (Level 15) had five spouses at the cost of N22,852,732.80 of her total estacode of N19,125,000.00, leaving a deficit of N3,727,732.80.
This applies to Mustapha Abbass (Level 15), who had sponsored five spouses. This negative balance does not make sense of how the staff along with the spouses brought along survived for 30 days and the staff still has funds to bring back home
In the case of NAHCON spokesperson Fatima Sanda Usara (Level 15), she brought four spouses costing N18,282,186.24, leaving her with paltry N842,813.76 out of her total estacode of N19,125,000.00. Mohammed Yarabba (Level 17), like Mrs Usara, was left with meager N842,813.76 out of his total estacode of N19,125,000.00 after sponsoring four spouses at the cost of N18,282,186.24.
Mrs Usara and Mr Yarabba’s balance of N842,813.76, according to further checks, is not sufficent enough to fund the officers’d expenses
of accommodation, feeding, among others for 30 days as well as the number of spouses brought along and savings to bring back home.
Further checks by this newspaper indicated that there are more than 30 spouses attached to nobody in the list. But insiders said the those anonymous spouses belonged to the chairman and his permanent commissioners. For instance, it was alleged that Professor Usman had brought a total of 12 spouses to the holy land, including his two wives and six sons. He is occupying four rooms at Makkah Hilton Suites at about $1,000 per night, which translates to $120,000 for 30 days. This figure is far ahead of the chairman’s estacode of $1,000 per day, which is roughly $35,000 for 35 days.
Insiders are also alleging that the chairman has appointed his sons, wives and other family members into various NAHCON committees such as Ulema, Stakeholders, among others, purposely to earn allowances. This immoral and nepotistic tendencies have never being experienced even by his two predecessors. This is aside his biological brother, son and nephew that he brought as personal assistant and special advisers.
Multiple officers at the commission have confessed to this newspaper that the staff spouse policy has been bastardized by many of the staff over the years.
“The spouse list was bloated to enable staff make some cool cash. Nothing else,” an official who craved anonymity said.
“The spouse slots are sold off at par with pilgrim packages (N8.7 million) despite not having all components intentionally. Many unsuspecting persons have fallen culprit to this scheme by some staff and commissioners of the commission. They are stranded in Makkah with no accommodation, no feeding and no BTA,” one of the NAHCON official lamented.
Most of the spouses have took over the accommodations of state pilgrims boards in Makkah and those provided by NAHCON to its officials.
“Instead of securing accommodations for their wives or husbands as expected, majority of NAHCON officers bring them to stay with in the hotels provided for officials by NAHCON- at many raising moral and cultural questions,” an official lamented to this newspaper.
“Staff members go round to scout for interested individuals, collect between N8 million to N8.5 million, to secure the spouse slots and keep the balance,” one official said.
Another staff member said, “content analyse the spouse list and see the glaring dichotomy in the names. More than two-third of the list doesn’t correspond with the names of the staff members. It is shamefully sad.”
An internal NAHCON circular, dated May 6, 2025, with subject, “Submission of Draft Payment for Spouse Application” and signed by Mohammad Aminu Y, NAHCON Director, Finance and Accounts, said the commission would deduct the spouse fare from the individual’s estacode of staff members who have failed to pay before the Hajj operation begins.
Findings revealed that the spouse slot covers only three services namely: Air ticket, visa and Madinah accommodation. Stakeholders are wondering who paid for the Masha’ir services (Tents, feeding and transport in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah), as well as Makkah accommodation, feeding and transport services from Madinah to Makkah, Makkah to Masha’ir and back to Makkah and Makkah to Jeddah.
Insiders have informed this newspaper that the spouses have invaded pilgrims accommodation in Makkah and hotel accommodations provided for NAHCON officials like the Ulema, staff, Medical team, media team and Stakeholders. “They invaded these accommodations and eat up their food,” one of the staff said.
A conservative estimates made by this newspaper based on the 2025 NAHCON- approved Hajj package has shown that the commission must have spent a whopping N512,673,200 for accommodation of the 400 spouses at 3,000 Saudi riyal (N1,280683) per pilgrim in Makkah illegally. There is also the lacal transportation at 1,132 Saudi riyal (N483,564) per pilgrim, translating to N193,425,600 for the 400 spouses. This is another illegal expenditure.
For the three services the spouses are not entitled to namely: Makkah accommodation, the feeding in Makkah for 35 days, local transportation, the commissions have spent nearly a billion naira illegally on it. This didn’t include the 2 percent CBN Commission charge on the 400 spouses.
Insiders have questioned the rationale behind this illegal spendings. “Is this amount captured in the approved 2025 offshore budget of the commission? Since the services are not statutorily legal for the spouses, who approved the expenditure? That is why I said the EFCC must uncover these infractions. Nobody is allowed to spend public funds without requisite authorization,” a staff member told this newspaper.
Insiders are calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a forensic audit of NAHCON accounts “to find out how much was remitted by staff to the commission in Naira before Hajj.
Secondly, EFCC should also investigate how much was deducted by the commission from in dollars how much was and how much was deducted by the commission itself. Thirdly, the EFCC, must as a matter of urgency, establish whether the remitted and deducted funds were actually paid into the commission account and whether it is still there or it has been spent.”
The officials said, “the EFCC’s audit would deepen transparency and ensure that the funds are not misappropriated or squandered.”
The insiders said the anti-graft agency should also investigate the reported violations of the spouse slot policy, where officers who are supposed to get one or two, ended up getting five or 10 slots. This infractions must be probed to punish erring staff members.