The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullai Saleh Pakistan, has concluded plans to spend N15.2 billion on 1,549 2026 Hajj officials he appointed without any approval from President Bola Tinubu.
This newspaper reliably gathered that the data of the 1,549 Hajj officials arbitrarily appointed by Mr Pakistan, and without budget, have been uploaded into the Saudi Arabian NUSUK platform for visa processing.
Saudi Arabian authorities have fixed 8 February 2026 as the deadline for the 2026 Hajj data capturing and uploading.
The Hajj commission chairman, insiders at the Hajj House and Presidency said, has earmarked these billons even though he didn’t submit any budget for the 2026 Hajj to President Tinubu for approval as required by the NAHCON Act.
1,549 officials to guzzle N15.2 billion
Mr Pakistan, according to official records cited by this newspaper, had earlier appointed 1,088 Hajj officials under nine categories, but later jerked it up to 1,549 thus: Staff (306), NAHCON Chairman and Board Members (19), Medical Team (350), Stakeholders (500), National Ulama Team (300), Aviation (9), Media (40), Security (10), and Award and Assessment (10).
The Hajj commission would spend N6. 8 million on each Hajj official, and N4.7 million each on the 306 staff, minus estacode.
The N4.7 million for every staff covers airfare, Madinah services, Masha’ir packages, car syndicate deposit, Ministry of Hajj deposit, medical services supervision, and 2% CBN charge. However, this doesn’t cover the estacode of the staff.
For the other Hajj officials, the N6.8 million covers all the services mentioned for the staff, in addition to Makkah accommodation. But it doesn’t cover their BTA.
This brings the total funds for the 1,088 officials to N6.7 billion ($4.6 million). However, when the estacode of the officials is added, the figure rises to N12 billion ($8.3 million).
Mr Pakistan had jerked the number of officials to 1,549 and uploaded their data hours before the deadline expiration on Sunday, this newspaper learned from highly-placed sources.
With 1,549 officials, the amount earmarked for them will rise to N9.8 billion ($6.8 million) without estacode. When their estacode is added, the money will hit N15.2 billion ($10.5 million).
How medical team slots were allegedly shared
This newspaper was told by impeccable sources at the Hajj commission that the 2026 medical team slots were allegedly grabbed 184 medical slots among the 19 NAHCON Board Members, secretary of the commission, three directors, nine deputy directors and nine assistant directors.
The 19 board members comprising the CEO, three permanent commissioners, six non-permanent zonal commissioners and two JNI and NSCIA representatives, were allegedly allocated six medical slots each. Sources said Mr Pakistan and the three permanent commissioners also allegedly grabbed 15 slots each.
Also, it was alleged that the secretary to the commission allegedly got four slots, three directors at NAHCON were reportedly given three slots each, nine deputy directors two each and one each for the nine assistant directors, the insider said — further deepening suspicions that fewer candidates was picked from the application portal.
Other beneficiaries of this alleged sharing spree include some officials at the Presidential Villa, who are involved in Mr Pakistan’s battle to say right at the Hajj commission. There are also ministers, religious and traditional rulers — who are working to stave off the embattled Hajj chief removal.
Stakeholders slots sharing
The institutional stakeholders who and not more less than 30 people have now being bastardized, appointing 500 members.
One of the presidential aides has allegedly collected 100 slots in the name of President Tinubu.
Expenditure overshoots IGR
What Mr Pakistan earmarked for the Hajj officials is far above the projected Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the commission for 2026, this newspaper authoritatively gathered.
The Hajj commission is expected to generate $10.5 million as internal revenue. This figure is not enough to cover the expenditure of the officials, after deducting 20 percent ($2.2 million) for the states. The remaining $8.3 million is not enough to cover the expenses of the 1,549 officials ($8.3 million) and $2 million expenditure for office running in Saudi Arabia, local staff allowances, fueling, procurement of drugs, among others. To successfully run the operation with this number, the Hajj commission will incur a deficit of about $3 million.
NAHCON Act on Hajj budget
Section 12 of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (Establishment) Act 2006, titled “Estimates of Expenditure,” provides that the commission shall submit a budget three months before the every Hajj.
Section 12 reads, “In respect of the revenue of each financial year, the Commission shall, except in the
case of the first pilgrimage after commencement of this Act, prepare and submit to the President not later than three months before every pilgrimage, an estimate of its expenditure and income during the next succeeding financial year, provided that the Commission
shall submit an advance estimate whenever it is requested to do so by the President.”
This newspaper recalls that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah released the guidances for 2026 Hajj in the first week of June 2025, where it set a deadline of all pilgrims registration – including data capturing and uploading on NUSUK platform — to 8 February 2026.
By this, the Hajj commission had up to October 2025 (three months to the February deadline) to submit the Hajj budget to the President Tinubu as required by law. But it never did.
Insiders said, the Hajj commission has failed to submit the budget despite multiple reminders by Vice President Kashim Shettima to submit as directed.
Lawyers interpretation
Some lawyers who spoke to our reporters said what the NAHCON law infers is that since the Saudis have fixed a February deadline for data collection and uploading, then the Hajj commission should therefore submit its Hajj budget three months before the deadline.
And the law envisaged such situations when it said the Hajj budget can be submitted when it is required— that is why the Vice President severally requested for it but the NAHCON leadership was unable to do it.
The lawyer said any activity not in line with the NAHCON Act is considered as a criminal act, abuse of office, it is illegal and null and void. And the actors can be charged to court for violating Sections 80-83 of the Nigerian Constitution as amended.
Repeating 2025 infractions
Official financial records reviewed by this newspaper have shown that Mr Pakistan also spent billions on 1,588 unapproved Hajj officials in 2025 Hajj operation.
The records show that though President Tinubu only approved 1,849 Hajj officials for the 2025 Hajj operation, Mr Pakistan ended up taking 3,437 persons to the holy land.
This newspaper reported how Mr Pakistan spent over N44.93 billion ($28.08 million) illegally without President Tinubu’s approval during last year’s Hajj.
The Hajj commission boss incurred an extra-budgetary expenditures of $7.18 million (N11.48 billion) on five budget lines alone; and another $20.90 million (N33.44 billion) on four other items that were never captured in the budget.
This newspaper further unearthed — through analysis of the official records — that the Presidency approved a budget for only 1,849 officials under at least 10 committees for the 2025 Hajj operation thus: NAHCON CEO, Commissioners and Board Members (19), NAHCON Staff (306), National Ulama Team (300), Federal Medical Team (300), Stakeholders (540), Media (50), Aviation (9), Security (10), Awards and Assessment (15), and Others (300).
A cursory analysis of the Visa, Flights Manifest and Weighing List of the officials list for the 2025 Hajj, revealed that Mr Pakistan had set aside the Presidential approval and padded the figures from 1,849 to 3,437.
This newspaper observed that the padding, totaling 1,588, was perfected in at least four committees thus: National Ulama Team (19), Federal Medical Team (85), Stakeholders (226), and Others (1,258).
Official records show that President Tinubu approved $12.9 million for the offshore operation for the 2025 pilgrimage, but Mr Pakistan spent $28.08 million— against the President’s approval.
NSERT TABLE HERE
Official Hajj slots for highest bidders
This illegal spending spree can be seen from the categorization of the committees. A particular committee was tagged “others” with an approved budget for 300 persons. But after thorough examination, it was uncovered that the number was padded by 1,258 persons. Insiders said the Hajj slots under this category were allegedly sold to the highest bidders at discounted rates, and gifted to some prominent Nigerians that included traditional and religious leaders — to curry favours.
Medical, Ulama teams padded with impostors
Further findings have shown that most of the committees were populated by persons with no relevance to the committee’s work. For instance, the Ulamq team – which is not supposed to be more than 30 members to coordinate the activities of the clerics at the state and zonal levels, was padded with non-clerical persons.
In the case of the medical team, our reporters gathered from NAHCON insiders that no applicant was picked from the registration portal. They said the advertisement of the medical team application on December 12, 2025 was simply “to fulfill all righteousness and stage public stunt but no one was picked from the portal.”
Stakeholders reactions
Many Hajj stakeholders that include diplomats, NAHCON former officials, Hajj aviation experts have condemned Mr Pakistan’s bold disdain of presidential directives.
They said, “this is the best time for Professor Pakistan to be sacked from NAHCON. The audacious disregard for President Tinubu is a national embarrassment.”
The stakeholders requested urgent investigation by the EFCC to “recover all pennies squandered by Professor Pakistan and any other officials involved. All assets acquired with the proceeds of theft in NAHCON must also be recovered and forfeited to the federal government.”
However, the stakeholders were unanimous in appealing to President Tinubu to cancel anything that was done not in consonance with the NAHCON Act, insisting that Hajj as a spiritual act should not be used as a conduit for wasting public funds.
Ulama sets criteria for appointment of new NAHCON chairman
Some Muslim clerics spoke to this newspaper in Kano and Abuja said President Tinubu should appoint a neutral Nigerian with cognate experience in Hajj administration.
“President Tinubu should appoint a neutral and competent Nigerian with no link to any sectarian Muslim organization to lead the Hajj commission. Appointing the new chairman from a particular Muslim sect would breed discords and disaffection from other sects,” a religious leader identified as Sheikh Abu Bilql bin Muhammad, said.
The cleric said Hajj administration is a technocratic and logistic matter that requires competence in administration and logistics. “I am appealing to President Tinubu to save the Hajj industry by appointing a neural and non-partisan Muslim with requisite credentials in Hajj administration. That is what is needed to salvage the situation now,” the scholar said.
The scholars said no single cleric was ever appointed to head the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah since its establishment in 1962. They said this was done because the kingdom’s authorities understood that Hajj operation is about administration, logistics and information technology.
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