NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE HAJJ SAVINGS SCHEME

 Usman Aliyu Buba argues against the suspension of the scheme

If every Muslim had their way, they would travel to Mecca at least once in their lifetime to perform the spiritual duty of Hajj in fulfilment of one of the five pillars of Islam. But out of all the duties that the religion of Islam has obligated the Muslims to perform, going for hajj requires much more than mere wishes. It involves a lot of funds, which only the rich can comfortably pay, and which the average Nigerian has generally been unable to raise – except by relying upon the benevolence of the state, wealthy family or relatives.   

The fact remains that hajj fares are relatively high especially because of the global economic realities which have contributed to rising inflation rate.  During the 2019 hajj operations, the fare was put at N1.5million, but in 2022, the fare has jumped to N2.5million. You are as sure as hell that the fares will shoot up in the following years.

Perhaps, conscious of these realities, and to ease the chances for the average intending Nigerian pilgrims to perform hajj, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), which statutory responsibility is to organise and coordinate the movement of persons from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia for the performance of pilgrimage or Ummra, came up with a scheme, known as the Hajj Savings Scheme.

With the launching of the scheme in Kano in 2020, and  billed to become fully operational in 2022 following the granting of presidential approval, the intending pilgrims especially from states wouldn’t have to struggle too hard to pay instant money anymore, but steadily work and save towards going to Mecca.

Because it brings with it long awaited succor, the support for this scheme was massive – evident in the encouraging interests and contributions by some intending pilgrims in some states into the JAIZ Bank which became the joint promoter of the scheme.

In fact, as of March 2022, there were over 4,000 enrollees in the scheme, and all of whom have had their accounts regularly credited with the proceeds that accrued under just one year, whereas those who had their initial deposits for the 2020 and 2021 Hajj with the State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards (SPWPBs), which by the way had been adamant against NAHCON’s directives and extant laws to remit their savings to JAIZ bank, have yet to make such profit. More than any time since the beginning of the scheme, the enrollees are expectant of performing hajj anytime soon.

But this heart-warming story of support for and encouragement of the ordinary Nigerian Muslims intending to embark upon hajj may soon be truncated. Last week, the Senate passed for second reading a bill sponsored by one Senator Ibrahim Danbaba (Sokoto South), for the suspension of the scheme, and possible domicile of its savings in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).  Earlier, the House of Representatives had made the same move through a motion by Aminu Ashiru-Mani, from Katsina State, who argued without any evidence that NAHCON’s recent directives to states pilgrims’ welfare boards, agencies and commissions to migrate Hajj deposits made by the intending pilgrims to the Hajj Savings Scheme platform with Jaiz Bank could give room for corruption and lack of accountability in the scheme.

If you were taken aback by these moves by the national assembly, you would not be alone, especially when you take into consideration, the delightful work that NAHCON has been doing to save the intending Muslim pilgrims from the financial pressures on them to perform hajj and also the national economy from the colossal sums government sink, annually, into the sponsorship of hajj for political patronage. 

You would also think that this alleged moves by the legislators were informed by the facts arising from their possible perusal of the books and records of NAHCON and JAIZ bank, and discovery of clear irrefutable evidence of mismanagement, and misappropriation. But no, there is no such evidence, rather what we read was a mere expression of possible corruption “if the development (of allowing the accounts of intending pilgrims or subscribers in the bank) is not tackled.”

The questions thus arise: how does management of the intending pilgrims account by JAIZ bank give rise to possible corruption?  Are there genuine complaints from the subscribers of the scheme about the loss of their contributions? Now if you end up suspending the scheme, or moving the contributions of the subscribers to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), what do the intending pilgrims stand to gain, especially given the fact that they will neither be able to receive halal alerts (interest free) of profits by the bank and growing their accounts to the level they can be financially stable to embark on this journey? Will the intending pilgrims/subscribers be able to log in details to check how their accounts are doing as they were wont?   

You see, when you have an institution that has come up with a valuable scheme for some struggling souls to uplift their faith,  and  you have no gratitude to offer for such initiative,  I think the least you can do is to keep quiet. But this is Nigeria, where oftentimes pecuniary interests rather than altruistic fervors provide impetus for some vocalized actions.

At this moment, concerned stakeholders need to take a decisive stance against this needless legislative adventure before it is too late, because if the national assembly eventually have their way, it will kill the dreams of many of the indigent, struggling subscribers who have taken this scheme as a godsend, a scheme which is supposed to create a robust and healthy economy around Hajj, anyway.

 It is instructive that, already, the Council of Imams and Ulama have expressed their reservations about the manner the National Assembly is going about this issue. The ulamas   led by Shaykh Ibrahim Nakaka ànd Dr Yusuf Yakubu Arrigasiyyu, Chairman and Secretary-General of the Council respectively, in a recent statement, expressed fears that this scheme patterned along the Malaysian Tabung Hajj which  had  become a reference point for national economy of the South-East Asian country, was  about to be shut down.

Also the Independent Hajj Reporters, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) has appealed to the National Assembly to suspend the ongoing moves to amend the NAHCON Act, even as it wondered whether the curiously sudden interest of the lawmakers in the Hajj savings scheme will not pose danger to Nigerians intending to perform the 2022 hajj.

 It is high time that other stakeholders raised the alarm. Pressures need to be sufficiently mounted on this assembly  to see reason in leaving this scheme alone, because for now, there is no clear, convincing facts  for this wrongheaded moves of theirs, except that the current crop of legislators are deliberately undermining the scheme either out of mischief or ignorance of its  background, philosophy,  goals and even  operations. One may also not be wrong to point at    undue influence on the assembly from the SMPWBs, whose body language demonstrate their distaste for the full implementation of the scheme because of their baseless fears it would possibly render  them ineffective. 

Buba writes from Abuja