Shettima Urges NAHCON Board to Introduce Innovations into Nation’s Hajj Operations

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima has inaugurated the newly constituted board of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) with a charge on the board members to introduce innovations in hajj operations in Nigeria.

Speaking during the inauguration of the new board at the State House in Abuja yesterday, the vice president urged members to synergise and bring fresh perspectives to the operations of the commission.

Shettima stressed that serving on the NAHCON board is very important given that “Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam”.

He said: “For you, beyond your appointment, it is a win-win situation because if you serve the pilgrims well, almighty Allah will compensate you in the year after. So, it is more of a religious duty than an administrative function,” he emphasised.

Speaking further about the composition of the new board and the task ahead of them, the vice president said the president deliberately picked people with diverse backgrounds and untainted by the past.

He stated that this is so that they can bring fresh perspectives and innovations to Hajj operations in Nigeria and also interrogate the management structure of the organisation and bring out the best from the staff.

He added: “As usual, you will encounter a lot of challenges but I will urge you to fuse into a single force and achieve our desired result. I will urge you to wear your thinking caps and come up with robust solutions that will satisfy Nigerian pilgrims.

“It is a very tough assignment; this is the nature of pilgrimage. But I want you to have it at the back of your minds that you are rendering service to God and humanity”.

Shettima particularly urged the new management to improve on the Hajj Savings Scheme to boost the number of pilgrims participating in the exercise across the country.

He added: “There are states that have become success stories in the Hajj Savings Scheme, and there is a need for greater advocacy so that this scheme can be replicated across the country.”

He further challenged the board to engage our agents and operations partners to foster a longer-term relationship so that they can make significant capital investment in operations in the Holy Land.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the new board, Mallam Jalal Arabi, thanked the president and vice president for finding them worthy of service to the nation through the NAHCON board.

He said given the importance of the task ahead of them, the new board would work as a team to improve Hajj operations in Nigeria, assuring that pilgrims will get value for their money.

The NAHCON boss said his team had already commenced work with a visit to Saudi Arabia to inspect facilities ahead of the forthcoming operations.

The newly constituted board comprises Aliu Abdulrazaq (Commissioner, Policy, Personnel, & Finance), Prince Anofi Elegushi (Commissioner, Operations), and Prof. Abubakar  Yagawal (Commissioner, Planning & Research).

The zonal and stakeholder representatives include: Dr. Muhammad Umaru Ndagi — North Central; Abba Jato Kala — North East; Sheikh Muhammad Bin Othman — North West and Tajudeen Oladejo Abefe — South West.

Others are: Aishat Obi Ahmed — South East; Zainab Musa — South South; Professor Musa Inuwa Fodio — Jama’atul Nasril Islam, and Prof. Adedimeji Mahfouz Adebola — Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs.