Tinubu Sacks NAHCON Chair, Jalal Arabi

•Names Usman as replacement, appoints seven-man new management team for NDPHC

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, sacked the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, less than a year into his tenure.

The President immediately appointed Professor Abdullahi Usman as his replacement.

Presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, in a release stated that Tinubu approved the appointment of Usman as the Executive Chairman of NAHCON.

Usman, a renowned scholar with qualifications from two Islamic centres of excellence – the University of Madinah and Peshawar University, Pakistan, is also 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.

His appointment, according to the statement, was subject to confirmation by the Senate.

The president expects him to discharge his duties with integrity, transparency, and utmost fidelity to the nation, the statement added.

The statement, did not however provide an official reason for Arabi’s removal. Arabi, who assumed office in October 2024, is being investigated over his reported handling of N90 billion in subsidies for the 2024 Hajj.

Both Arabi and NAHCON’s Secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, were recently arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has reportedly recovered 314,098 Saudi Riyals from Arabi.

Also, yesterday, Tinubu approved the appointment of a seven-member management team for the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) with Jennifer Adighije as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.

Other members of the management team, according to another release by Ngelale, included Abdullahi Kassim, Executive Director (Generation), Bello Babayo Bello, Executive Director (Networks), Emmmanuel Umeoji, Executive Director (Corporate Services), Omololu Agoro, Executive Director (Finance & Accounts); Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Executive Director (Strategy & Commercial) and Steven Andzenge, Executive Director (Legal Services).

The new NDPHC Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Jennifer Adighije, is an experienced engineer with vast competencies across management functions in the private and public sectors, who holds a master’s degree in Wireless Networks & Telecommunications from Queen Mary University of London, UK, and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

The president expects the new members of the management of the company to deploy their expertise and experience to drive NDPHC’s mandate of effectively managing the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP).