CHAIRMAN and Chief Executive of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Pakistan, has presented a gift of the ‘Kaaba key’ to Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda amidst fraud allegations investigation by the EFCC.
The Hajj commission announced this in a short statement published on its verified Facebook page and official WhatsApp platform on Wednesday evening, September 17, 2025.
The statement, which was accompanied by seven handout photos taken from the visit, said Mr Pakistan led a delegation from the commission to the Katsina Government House.
The statement said, “Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, NAHCON Chairman/CEO, briefed Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold reforms in hajj management since inception, which saw lower fares, better healthcare, dignified accommodation, and transparency for Nigerian pilgrims.
“The Governor pledged full support, launching early payment sensitisation to make the 2026 Hajj even more affordable and fulfilling for all Nigerian hujjaj.
“The Chairman/CEO also presented a gift of the holy Kaaba key to the governor.”
This newspaper gathered that Mr Pakistan was billed to chair the Tour Operators Stakeholders meeting to decide on Masha’ir service provider for the tour operators in line with Vice President Kashim Shettima’s directive, that same Wednesday.
He was also expected to attend an interview with the team investigating various alleged infractions against the commission and its leadership at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Headquarters in Abuja.
Insiders said the stakeholders meeting was chaired by NAHCON Commissioner of Operations Anofi Elegushi; and for the EFCC interview, the NAHCON Chairman had pleaded with the anti-graft agency to shift it by one week.
However, it was further gathered that Mr Pakistan and some top NAHCON officials would be travelling to Saudi Arabia next week. It wasn’t clear at the time of publishing this report how he would reconcile the EFCC invitation with the Saudi Arabian trip.
This newspaper observes that the Katsina state government didn’t mention the Kaaba key gift presented by Mr Pakistan in its press statement released after the event and signed by Governor Radda’s Chief Press Secretary Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, released Wednesday night.
In the 12-paragraph press release, the Katsina state government explained that Mr Pakistan was in Katsina to solicit Governor Radda’s support to mobilize North-West governors to speed up 2026 Hajj registration across the seven states.
The statement quoted Mr Radda assuring “NAHCON delegation that Katsina State would give full support to all initiatives that make the Hajj process smoother and more efficient.”
The governor also “pledged to convey the Commission’s concerns to the North West Governors’ Forum, where he serves as Chairman.
The statement also quoted Mr Pakistan explaining “that his visit was primarily to brief Governor Radda, in his capacity as Chairman of the North West Governors’ Forum, on the need for states to commence early mobilization of intending pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj.”
This newspaper observed that in the press statement there was no mention of the Kaaba key gift to Governor Radda, which many residents in Katsina found laughable and childish, and Infact some even called it 419.
In his reaction to the NAHCON Kaaba key statement, a resident of Katsina state, Sama’ila Muhammad Lawal, said, “the gesture portrays the NAHCON leadership as unserious and childish. I am very happy that the Katsina state government has ignored that aspect in its statement.”
The resident, who was in Hajj last year, said: “Presenting a gift of the Kaaba key, which doesn’t exit anywhere except with its official holders in Makkah and has never being transported anywhere outside Makkah, nor presented to any head of state as a gift is not only funny but fraudulent. It portrays the Hajj commission chairman as a clown and unserious person.”
Findings by this newspaper have shown that there are no official holders of the Kaaba’s key outside Makkah and the key has no duplicate that is being moved around. The original key is held by the Bani Shaiba family in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a lineage of custodians chosen by the Prophet Muhammad (S).
The online search revealed that Sheikh Abdul Wahab bin Zain Al-Abidin Al-Shaibi currently holds the position as the 78th key holder, taking over after his predecessor’s passing in June 2024.
This newspaper also understands that the so-called Kaaba key presented to Governor Radda is a souvenir sold across shops and neighborhood markets in Makkah for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
Another resident of Katsina, who has travelled several times, “The NAHCON chairman must have bought from one of the local shops in Misfalah or Shara Al Mansoor local shops, possibly at the cost of two Saudi riyal. That is why the Katsina governor didn’t take it seriously and refused to even mention it in their press statement.
A pool staff member of the commission who was recently posted out said going to Katsina to solicit for governor’s support is a jamboree that would further deplete the scarce resources of the commission.
The officer who requested not to be identified said if the commission is committed to mobilization for the 2026 Hajj registration, “then they should meet the state chief executives of the pilgrim welfare boards, and sort out their grey areas and thoroughly reconcile their account books for 2025 Hajj, which doesn’t involve travelling to the states.
This is because the state officials are the foot soldiers that would do the needful. But going to governors and take pictures with them is just a waste of resources and a jamboree.”
The source said the commission is pressuring the state pilgrims’ boards to submit the 2026 Hajj funds “so that they use it to pay up their subsisting debts.
On the NAHCON’s claim of successes and transparency in the 2025 Hajj operation as stated in its press statement, the former staff member said, “That is baseless propaganda. If the Hajj was successful and transparent, why is the commission foot-dragging in submitting the Hajj report to the federal government more than four months after pilgrimage, and in clear breach of the NAHCON Act Section 20 (1).
“While everyone acknowledges that this is the most reckless NAHCON leadership in the history of Hajj in Nigeria, in view of the preponderance of various scandals engulfing the leadership of the commission under Mr Pakistan,” the staff member said.
“Vice President Kashim Shettima should, as a matter of urgency, order a forensic audit of the NAHCON accounts, assets, and liabilities,” the ex-official said.
Sources at the EFCC headquarters confirmed to this newspaper that aside the ongoing probe, two former NAHCON leaders; Zikirullah Kunle Hassan and Jalal Ahmed Arabi, as well as Mr Pakistan would soon be invited to account for the 30 million US dollars (93 million Saudi riyal) royalty funds, left behind in the commission’s coffers by their predecessors: Muhammad Musa Bello and Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad.
The trio of Zikirullah, Arabi and Pakistan, according to the EFCC source, would also be asked to explain the whereabouts of N2.4 billion Hajj Development Levy meant for the construction of pilgrims departure centres across the country, 4.6 million US dollar recovered by EFCC from Medview Airline by the EFCC, and another N2.4 billion for the renovation of the NAHCON headquarters in Abuja and construction of the Hajj Institute of Nigeria on a plot of land located at the Abuja’s Central Business District, all left behind by Mr Mukhtar.
They are also to account for 7.7 million Saudi riyal in the NAHCON IBAN account, and 1.3 million U.S dollar in NAHCON dollar account.
Other funds expected to be accounted for by the three former leaders include N800 million Hajj Development Levy fund collected from state and tour operators pilgrims from 2022 to 2025.
A total of N1.5 billion is another money be accounted for exclusively by Mr Zikirulllah, his Commissioner of Finance Nura Yakasai, and his management team, the EFCC sources said. Mr Zikirullah claimed that he spent the N1.5 billion in 2021 even though there was no Hajj that year and 2020, and the world was under lockdown to allow any official travels because of COVID-19 pandemic; and that NAHCON doesn’t pay the salaries of it workers because it is being handled by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
Findings by this newspaper have shown that all the Hajj Development Levy projects initiated by the NAHCON 3rd board led by Mr Mukhtar which included clinics, hotel accommodations, conference halls, mosques, and many more have been abandoned despite leaving behind N2.4 billion for the continuation of the projects; and collecting N800 million Hajj Development Levy between 2022 and 2025.
While commending the EFCC for the probe, Hajj stakeholders also said that stealing public funds is a crime in Islam and it doesn’t matter whether it is done by a cleric or a layman, whether it is done in a religious or non-organization.