PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Monday, August 19, sacked the embattled chairman of the National Hajj Commission, Jalal Arabi.
He was dismissed barely a year after the President appointed him in October 2023.
While no reason for his removal was stated, it coincides with allegations of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, accusing him of mismanaging Hajj subsidies amounting to N90 billion.
According to the statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President has also appointed a new head for the commission.
The presidency described the new NAHCON Chairman, Abdullahi Usman, as “a renowned scholar with qualifications from two Islamic centres of excellence — the University of Madinah and Peshawar University, Pakistan.”
It also noted that Usman is “well-grounded in Hajj operations, having served as the chairman of Kano State Pilgrims Board, and successfully superintended the operations of the largest quota of state pilgrims in the country.”
Meanwhile, Usman’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
This latest development was at the heel of the ongoing investigation by the anti-graft commission over alleged illegal withdrawal and mismanagement of the N90 billion 2024 Hajj intervention fund.
The commission, on August 16, reportedly detained Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora on the same issue.
On May 15, 2024, Vice President Kashim Shettima revealed that Tinubu spent N90 billion to subsidise the costs for Nigerians participating in the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage.
However, according to a report by Punch, EFCC said its investigation revealed that from the N90 billion, Arabi, fraudulently overpaid himself and others the necessary operational cost.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M