From Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a faith-based registered Civil Society Organisation, has called on the leadership of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards to refrain from any action that could truncate the smooth operation of the forthcoming Hajj 2025.
IHR made the call on Sunday in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, and made available to media in Kaduna.
The statement, which is in response to reported squabbles between NAHCON and States over the choice of a service provider for Nigeria’s intending pilgrims, said if not properly handled, it will jeopardize the 2025 Hajj.
IHR had earlier raised the alarm that the chairman of NAHCON, Professor Abdullahi Saleh is planning to replace the service provider earlier engaged and whose contract was signed by the NAHCON board last January.
In the same vein, it also reported the opposition to that decision by the leadership of state boards.
“We are aware of the concerns raised by some Executive Secretaries of States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards over the decision of NAHCON Chairman Prof Abdullahi Saleh to begin the process of canceling the contract of Saudi Arabian Hajj Service Provider,” the CSO said in a statement signed by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed.
IHR said the issues, if not handled properly can thwart the 2025 Hajj operations and deny Nigerian intending pilgrims who had registered an opportunity to perform this year’s hajj.
IHR said both NAHCON and States need to work together as one body and make any critical decisions together in the interests of Nigerian pilgrims
“We are particularly concerned about the situation because we believe that NAHCON must have conducted its due diligence profile checks on the service provider before putting pen to paper.
“Attempting to change the selected service provider after signing the contractual agreement, and at a time other countries are almost done with payments for hajj service contracts connotes a self-indictment of failure or incompetence,” IHR said.
The CSO added that with the attitude being displayed by Nigerian Hajj officials “no service provider in Saudi Arabia will have confidence in serving Nigerian pilgrims in the future”.
It said there is already no adequate time to prepare for the services by the selected service provider due to non-payment from Nigeria.
“We had earlier acknowledged and commended the efforts made by NAHCON to change service providers based on petitions and complaints from various hajj stakeholders, including the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON), about the 2024 service provider.
“We also applauded the State Pilgrims board collaborative efforts with NAHCON.
“However, we are disturbed that recent developments pose a high risk to Nigerian Hajj 2025 intending pilgrims whose money is the primary source of funds for the exercise.
“We, therefore, call on all concerned to be cautious and avoid any friction that may cause the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to outrightly cancel Nigeria’s hajj service contracts and deny our innocent intending pilgrims an opportunity to fulfill their religious obligations”, the statement reads
