ANTI-GRAFT agencies and the Office of the Auditor- General for the Federation (OAGF) have been asked to beam their searchlights on the financial records of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The House of Representatives urged the bodies to carry out comprehensive external audit of the commission, including the N90 billion federal subsidy for the 2024 hajj operations.
Specifically, the Green Chamber, which could verify the authenticity of the list provided to it by the commission, directed the anti-corruption agencies to probe NAHCON’s claim that it sponsored 1000 officials from the subsidy.
The recommendation followed the adoption of the report of the ad hoc committee that investigated the commission and the FCT Muslims Pilgrims Welfare aboard over the shoddy treatment of Nigerians during last year’s Hajj operation.
The House also asked the government to carry out a review and renegotiation of the questionable Bilateral Air Agreement that allows Saudi-owned airlines to airlift 50% of Nigerian pilgrims to the detriment of domestic airlines who have consistently shown capacity in pilgrims airlift.
The House said that that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria should henceforth publish a transparent and detailed breakdown of all Hajj charges, justifying each cost to prevent hidden fees and financial mismanagement.
The commission has a mandate to ensure a uniform fee structure for all pilgrims, with clear and justified cost variations, where applicable and carry out an upward review of the $500 Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) to a more reasonable amount that can adequately supports pilgrims during the pilgrimage.
On pilgrims accommodation and welfare in the holy land, the House asked the commission to decentralise accommodation management and allow State Pilgrims Welfare Boards and private tour operators (PTOs) to be part of negotiating benchmark prices for pilgrims’ accommodation.
It also has the task to establish a service rating system for accommodation providers; thereby ensuring that providers meet set standards before being contracted; while ensuring timely fund disbursements for accommodation to preventing last-minute reallocations that force pilgrims into substandard hotels.
It must implement an effective refund mechanism for pilgrims if accommodations or services fall below agreed standards and impose penalties for poor performance for service providers who fail to meet their obligations.
In addition, the commission should establish an effective pilgrim complaints and resolution unit to handle grievances related to accommodation, feeding, transportation, and other services as well as a transparent system for the issuance of official Hajj visas to registered tour operators, ensuring that they receive visas proportionate to the number of pilgrims they manage, and maintain a publicly accessible records of all visa distributions to prevent corruption and manipulation.
Warning against unilateral decisions, the House urged NAHCON to engage tour operators, airlines and state pilgrims welfare boards, and regulatory agencies in decision-making processes, rather than making unilateral decisions and strengthens its enforcement capacity to ensure that service providers, tour operators and state boards comply with set Hajj standards.
On pilgrims’ feeding, the House asked the Hajj commission to contract Nigerian food caterers to prepare culturally-appropriate meals for pilgrims and introduce rigorous quality control checks for catering services, to ensure hygienic and nutritious meals for pilgrims.