THE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman Pakistan, is alleged to have launched a vicious social media attacks on the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima as EFCC deepens fraud investigations.
Credible sources have confirmed to this newspaper that Mr Pakistan is allegedly personally directing and coordinating the attacks on the VP’s office through many social media warriors and influencers majorly from Kano.
The social media warriors, popularly known as “sojojin baka” in Hausa, have launched series of unprovoked attacks on Vice President Kashim Shettima and his top aides that include the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, Senator Ibrahim Hasan Hadejia, among others.
Some of the prominent Kano-based social media warriors that launched attacks on the vice president and his top aides on behalf of Mr Pakistan include Abdulmajeed Danbilki Kwamanda, Junaidu Aminu, Usaini Jarma, Zulyqdaini Sidi Mustapha, among others.
Pakistan’s Grudges Against Shettima
Investigations by this newspaper have shown that Mr Pakistan’s grudges against the VP’s office stemmed from Mr Shettima’s many positive interventions in the NAHCON’s never-ending problems.
One of the grudges was the VP’s directive that NAHCON should review downward the 2026 Hajj fare package. Mr Pakistan was angry because he was all over the media claiming that he had secured a total of N19 billion reduction (N200,000 per pilgrim) for Nigeria. But after careful analysis, the VP’s office uncovered that Mr Pakistan had actually added over N33.5 billion (N524,000 per pilgrim) to the Hajj fare through a padded exchange rate of N1,550/$, instead of the CBN’s official rate of N1,450/$.
Another grudge was the VP’s intervention when the Association of Senior Civil Servants in Nigeria, NAHCON chapter, wrote a petition to the management, titled: “Urgent concerns regarding the placement of pool officers and administrative lapses”, and dated March 3, 2025. In resolving this case, Mr Shettima directed Mr Pakistan to deploy the 27 external staff including Mr Pakistan’s biological brother Surajo Salisu Usman, and nephew Abdulmalik Diggi back to their mother ministries to preserve institutional memory and career growth in the commission.
Mr Shettima’s reaction to the NAHCON board members petition, dated March 13, 2025 and titled “Deliberate exclusion from the oversight functions,” was another reason Mr Pakistan is angry with him. In his reaction, Mr Shettima warned Mr Pakistan to stop operating like a sole administrator, and carry everyone along in decision making process.
Further findings have shown that another directive by Mr Shettima that all requests for his approval on significant Hajj issues must be subjected to a collective decision-making process in tandem with the NAHCON Act and extant administrative protocols, and should come along with signed extracts of the Hajj commission exco, board and state pilgrims’ boards due to the latter’s complaint of Mr Pakistan’s autocratic attitude was another grudge the NAHCON chief has against the Vice President.
Another “offense” committed by Mr Shettima against Mr Pakistan, it was learned, was the VP’s office intervention on the eve of 2025 Hajj operation where Mr Pakistan arbitrarily cancelled Hajj services contracts legitimately entered into between Nigeria and Saudi company Mashariq Al-Dhahabiah, which almost led to international litigation if not for the Vice President’s office quick intervention and resolution of the case.
Another grudge Mr Pakistan has against Mr Shetima was the directive issued by the VP’s office that NAHCON must adhere to the subsisting federal government circular which states that all contracts with foreign entities in the threshold of N100 million must be submitted to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for vetting. The directive came after the NAHCON chairman single-handedly without any consultation, appointed Ekram Deif on June 14, 2025, as the sole service provider for Nigerian pilgrims in 2026.
On September 12, 2025, Mr Pakistan submitted a letter with reference number NAHCON/AI/17/X/791, and dated September 11, 2025, again, recommending Rawaf Mina as the exclusive Masha’ir service provider for the VIP, tour operators, and state pilgrims without any consultation. Mr Pakistan was angry when the vice president rejected the recommendation and directed that the recommendation must be subjected to a collective decision-making procedure.
Further checks by this newspaper have revealed that it was Mr Shettima that brought Mr Pakistan, and he was the one that has been begging board members and commissioners to tolerate him despite his incompetence, and even facilitated his travel to Saudi Arabia when the EFCC summoned him.
However, Mr Shettima was scandalized when it became apparent to him that the NAHCON boss wasn’t ready to honor the EFCC invite, thereby formally directing him to surrender himself for questioning, which ultimately angered Pakistan.
Attacks On VP Shettima’s Office
Mr Zulyqdaini Mustapha, in his Facebook audio past, praised Mr Pakistan and accused the VP’s office of harassing and blackmailing thr NAHCON boss through EFCC investigation, for refusing to oblige them huge kickbacks they demanded.
Also, Mr Jarma in an interview with Freedom Radio, accused the VP’s office of using EFCC against Mr Pakistan over “his refusal to accept a service provider imposed by the VP’s office.” He said Mr Pakistan is being punished for refusing to kowtow to the whims of the VP’s office.
Jarma specifically accused “DCOS Ibrahim Hadejia of desperately imposing a blacklisted Saudi company on NAHCON to serve Nigerian pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, with the connivance of chief executives of some state pilgrims boards.”
He claimed that Mr Pakistan’s “resistance of this company has caused him serious trauma and harassment that include his questioning by the EFCC. DCOS has deployed his boys to ensure that the NAHCON chairman is ridiculed, disgraced and punished.”
On his part, Danbilki Kwamanda, has described DCOS Hadejia as “the biggest disaster around VP Shettima.” He said Mr Hadejia has launched a war against Mr Pakistan for his refusal to surrender the commonwealth of Nigerian pilgrims to him.
Mr Kwamanda is a staunch critic of President Bola Tinubu. He sees nothing good in the Tinubu’s administration. This newspaper recalls that even after Mr Pakistan’s sponsorship of Kwamanda to Hajj in 2025, the social media warrior went ahead and cursed President Tinubu and the APC while still in Saudi Arabia.
Allegations Against DCOS Hadejia Baseless
This newspaper understands that going side -by-side with these attacks is the clandestine moves by Mr Pakistan to effect the removal of the NAHCON oversight from the office of the vice president.
Investigations have shown that all the allegations against DCOS Hadejia are not true, and his only crime in the eyes of Mr Pakistan was his insistence that due process must be followed.
Insiders told our reporters that Mr Hadejia, just like his boss Mr Shettima, has refused to accept dozens of free Hajj seats and other series of “welfare” from the Hajj commission. “This is his only offense: his sticking to due process and outright rejection of all largesse from NAHCON,” the insider said
Pakistan’s Image Laundering Battle
To burnish his battered public image, this newspaper reports that Mr Pakistan is desperately shopping for awards and honours amidst the ongoing multibillion naira fraud investigation launched by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mr Pakistan’s desperation, according to insiders, is connected to the ongoing multibillion naira fraud allegations facing the commission under his watch with him as the latest guest of the EFCC following his alleged indictment by over 20 NAHCON officials earlier questioned and detained by the anti-graft agency.
To douse tension and find temporary solace, the Hajj commission boss, since his interrogation and subsequent bail by the EFCC on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, has resorted to desperate scouting for any organization registered or not registered that is ready to give him “award” no matter how irrelevant it is to the mandate of the Hajj commission.
One of such awards was the Justice of Peace (JP) granted to Mr Pakistan by May Peace Prevail on Earth International (MPPOEI), an NGO run by one Mojima Etokudo and his daughter Emem Mojima; and another “award dinner” surprisingly organized in Kano by Hamsyl Travels and Tours, a tour operator coy licensed and supervised by NAHCON.
Checks by this newspaper have shown that MPPOEI is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), even though it describes itself as an affiliate of the United Nations Department of Public Information.
The presenters of the award said it honored Mr Pakistan for his contributions to global peace. The award, surprisingly was not presented by Mr Mojima or his daughter as he always do, rather it was presented to Pakistan by the Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), NAHCON chapter, Mr Auwal Ali Haladu, and the NAHCON’s Head of Protocol, Shamsuddeen Abba.
The two staff members, findings by this newspaper have shown, were never associated or known for peace advocacy. This is not to mention the fact that since his assumption into office, there is no single peace advocacy he embarked upon. Analysts, however, said the award was fraudulent.
The most bizarre is that of the Hamsyl, a tour operator being regulated by NAHCON. It is puzzling how a tour operator that is licensed and regulated by NAHCON would again organise dinner and award night in honour for the same head of the regulatory agency.
A staff member of the commission has described this award by Hamsyl “as an unprecedented charade and a proof that the NAHCON leadership has been compromised. This is a bizarre incident that never happened in the last 19 years of NAHCON.”
Multibillion Naira EFCC Probe
This newspaper reports that Mr Pakistan was grilled last week Tuesday, October 7, 2025 over alleged fraud running into billions of naira. He was questioned at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja.
Some of the cases under investigation include the alleged squandering of N25 billion on Masha’ir extra bed space, N1.6 billion on NAHCON staff spouses, and N8 billion on Makkah contingency bed spaces.
There was also the alleged extra-budgetary spending of over 300 per cent of his approved budget; N25 billion expended on officials, staff, and board members; N1.4 billion as allowances of committees; and the mismanagement of Madinah bed spaces from 11,000 to 18,000 for 41,000 pilgrims.
Mr Pakistan was granted bail and directed to be reporting to the EFCC on daily at 10 AM until the investigation is completed. Insiders at the EFCC said the NAHCON has been reporting to the commission every day since that fateful Tuesday.
EFCC has so sa far questioned over 20 NAHCON staff and they all pointed accusing fingers at Mr Pakistan, a source inside the anti-graft agency said.
Mr Pakistan, according to insiders, have overshot his 2025 onnshore/offshore budget by over 300 percent.
“The Presidency had approved an operational budget of about 12 million USD 70 percent of it to be funded from NAHCON IGR and 30 percent to be provided by the FG.
“However, Mr Pakistan went ahead and spent about 42 million USD during the 2025 Hajj without any approval,” the source privy to the details of the investigation at the EFCC told one of our reporters.
The EFCC insiders said the major challenge they are facing now is the inability of Mr Pakistan to write a simple statement in English language.
“We have uncovered at least four handwriting all under the name of NAHCON chairman in the Hajj commission files,” the insider who sought anonymity said.
He added that, “it is embarrassing that it takes a whole day for the chairman to write one page statement in English. It is a shocking discovery to many of us.”
On September 16, 2025, the NAHCON Secretary, Dr Mustapha Muhammad Ali, was grilled by the EFCC and released on bail over the corruption allegations.
Earlier, the EFCC detained and grilled the Commissioner, Policy, Personnel and Finance (PPMF), Aliu Abdulrazak; Commissioner, Planning, Research, Statistics, Information and Library Services (PRSILS), Professor Abubakar A. Yagawal; directors, deputy and assistant directors, special advisers to the chairman, among others.
Sack Pakistan, Secretary, PPMF, PRSIL Now
Stakeholders who spoke to this newspaper said all these are desperate tactics to cover up fraudulent activities in the commission.
There is consensus among them that Mr Pakistan “should go and answer for the torrents of financial allegations leveled against him in EFCC.”
The stakeholders have called for the sack of Mr Pakistan, Commissioner PPMF Abdulrazak Aliyu, Commissioner PRSIL Abubakar Yagawal and NAHCON Secretary Mustapha Ali.
They also urged the EFCC to continue with the investigation with a view to ensuring that all stolen funds are recovered and the thieves prosecuted. “Islam abhors stealing. It abhors corruption at all levels. The EFCC must not succumb to the undue pressure. They should cleanse NAHCON of corruption,” the stakeholders said.