One other Nigerian governor criticises NAHCON’s operations, vows to steer marketing campaign to scrap fee

Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has declared his intention to steer the trouble to abolish the Nationwide Hajj Fee (NAHCON), a federal authorities company answerable for the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Bago made this declaration throughout an interview with journalists in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

In a video posted on social media, the governor acknowledged that he would lead a marketing campaign to dissolve the company, arguing that the federal physique ought to act as a regulator quite than managing the complete Hajj.

“As a state governor, I need to lead a committee of the governors and the NGF to scrap NAHCON. NAHCON will not be serving to issues.

“The federal authorities is simply too large to be anxious about Hajj issues. This can be a native authorities challenge, not a state one. State governments ought to have the ability to organise pilgrimages and interact brokers from the non-public sector who can handle this extra successfully, as different nations do. The federal government has no enterprise in doing this,” he mentioned.

Mr Bago’s criticism seems to have stemmed from the scarcity of area within the VIP part the place he and others stayed in Muna.

In accordance with the governor, among the VIPs have been “embarrassed” by the shortage of ample tents.

“Are you able to think about governors of Nigeria, the Speaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, paying to NAHCON and having no place to sleep and being embarrassed? Folks will say it’s as a result of governors have been affected. Sure, they’ve been affected, however it’s good that we’re affected, and that is the time for us to vary the narrative,” he mentioned within the video.

Mr Bago’s place aligns with one of many suggestions of the Oronsaye Report, which advisable the scrapping of NAHCON and the Nigeria Christian Pilgrimage Fee (NCPC).

Competition between states and FG over Hajj operations.

There has at all times been competition between NAHCON and state governors over the administration of Hajj operations. Governors consider that their welfare boards ought to be in control of organising Hajj, with NAHCON restricted to a regulatory function.

Below the present association, NAHCON is answerable for the feeding and lodging of pilgrims in Medina; state boards maintain their pilgrims in Mecca, whereas Saudi-authorised distributors handle feeding and lodging in Muna.

NAHCON additionally oversees the operation of Nigerian clinics in Medina, Mecca, and Muna.

Decentralisation of operations

Mr Bago argued that there’s a have to decentralise Hajj operations and relieve NAHCON of some obligations.

“We’ve got failed and proceed to fail. NAHCON is meant to be a regulator, not an operator, however it has continued to behave as an operator and has, subsequently, failed pilgrims.

“Are you able to think about that feeding, lodging in Medina, tents in Muna, transportation, and healthcare staff are all managed by NAHCON? No different nation on the planet does this,” the governor mentioned.
Mr Bago mentioned he would have completed higher managing the feeding of his state pilgrims.

“NAHCON has no enterprise chartering flights; it isn’t their accountability to feed the pilgrims. For instance, I’m from Niger State. In case you permit me to feed pilgrims, I can transport meals that persons are domestically used to to Saudi Arabia to feed my very own pilgrims.

“I can get a kitchen that may put together meals acquainted to my pilgrims, quite than giving them a slice of bread or a boiled egg, leaving them ravenous. We’ve got completely different cultures; you can’t pressure Arabian delicacies on our folks, and that’s the reason they’re falling ailing,” he mentioned.

Feeding was additionally a serious problem in the course of the 2023 Hajj, nevertheless, NAHCON blamed the Saudi authorities for the “meals disaster”, stating that it was as a result of coverage of the Saudi authorities.

Failure regardless of N90 billion subsidy

Mr Bago additionally questioned utilising the N90 billion federal authorities’s intervention fund for the 2024 Hajj, suggesting that the fund may have served different functions, reminiscent of training.

The federal government-subsidised the 2024 Hajj with N90 billion following the rise in Hajj charges occasioned by the devaluation of the naira.

“Think about sharing this cash with the 36 states. Some states additionally paid subsidies. In Niger State, I paid N3 billion. That N90 billion is sufficient to fund UBEC for 4 years. So, we will’t be handing our sources to folks. Some folks paid N8 million for this operation and acquired simply $400. That is ridiculous,” he acknowledged.

PREMIUM TIMES despatched a message to the spokesperson of NAHCON, Fatima Sanda-Usara, for response, nevertheless, she had not responded on the time of submitting this report.

READ ALSO: Hajj: States Pilgrims Boards reject Bauchi governors name for NAHCONS decentralisation

Mr Bago is the second Nigerian governor to criticise NAHCON’s dealing with of the 2024 Hajj operations.

A couple of days in the past, the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, raised related considerations and referred to as for the decentralisation of the fee’s operations.