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NAHCON Withholds N3.65 Billion Hajj Refunds for One Year
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has withheld 8.5 million Saudi Riyal (N3.65 billion) Hajj refunds meant for Nigerian pilgrims for more than one year.
This newspaper uncovered this after a detailed investigation through review of official documents and interviews with insiders.
The findings revealed that Saudi Arabia paid NAHCON a total of 22,773,137.2 Saudi Riyal (N9.74 billion) as refunds for poor services during 2023 Hajj.
NAHCON, however, only publicly acknowledged and disclosed 20.63 million Saudi Riyal (N8.9 billion) refunds to states and tour operators.
Of the 20.63 million Saudi Riyal NAHCON acknowledged and disclosed publicly, it only disbursed 14.3 million Saudi Riyal to the pilgrims, withholding 6.4 million Saudi Riyal.
Moreover, the commission claimed it couldn’t disburse the 6.4 million Saudi Riyal because Saudi Arabia did not send narrations attached to it.
The breakdown of the 20.63 million Saudi Riyal acknowledged by the Hajj commission comprises 16.29 million Saudi Riyal from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, as a refund for “staying in Arafat” for 2023 Hajj and released on January 15, 2024; 1.17 million Saudi Riyal from the same ministry as an “emergency expenses refund” for 2023 Hajj, released on December 27, 2023.
There are also 517,891 Saudi Riyal as another “emergency expenses refund” from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for 2022 Hajj and released on December 27, 2023; and 2.6 million Saudi Riyal “multiple combined refund” for “services compensation” from a service company released on December 27, 2023. The other two additional refunds yet to be disclosed by NAHCON to states, tour operators as well as members of the public, according to insiders, are 1,735,229.02 Saudi Riyal released on October 24, 2024, for 2023 state quota pilgrims; and 400,000 Saudi Riyal meant for tour operators pilgrims released to the Hajj commission on December 10, 2024. This brings the total refunds lodged at NAHCON coffers to 22,773,137.2 Saudi Riyal (N9.74 billion), making the refunds yet to be disbursed to stand at 8.5 million Saudi Riyal (N3.65 billion), not 6.4 million Saudi Riyal as the commission seems to be claiming.
This newspaper reports that there are at least three types of refunds after every Hajj operation. These include a refund to intending pilgrims who paid Hajj fare but didn’t travel, a refund arising from penalties from erring service providers, and a refund for services not rendered or rendered unsatisfactorily. In a statement dated December 5, 2024 and signed by its spokesperson Fatima Sanda Usara, NAHCON only acknowledged 20.63 million Saudi Riyal refunds, saying “For the benefit of clearing any doubts, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria received in five tranches the sum of SR20,716, 035.2 (twenty million Saudi Riyals, seven hundred and sixteen thousand, thirty-five point two Halalas) as various categories of unexplained refunds.” She said, “NAHCON is still anticipating narration on a total of SR6,466,035.15.”
Mrs Usara said the commission had written several letters to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah requesting details on handing over the monies to the rightful owners.
With the preparation for the 2025 Hajj in top gear, the commission is silent on the 2024 Hajj refunds. Findings by this newspaper revealed that even the decision by the commission to disburse the refunds was because of the pressure mounted by the forum of state pilgrims’ boards.
“It was the same pressure by the states that forced the commission to come later to admit that there were refunds without narrations,” a staff of the commission said. He said it was clear the states “are now reasserting themselves, like never before, to fight for their pilgrims.”
It was found out that the states are now agitating that there are non-offshore refunds still with NAHCON since the Covid-19 period.
Stakeholders are calling for forensic audit of NAHCON accounts to identify all the money belonging to states and ensure that it’s given to them.
Hajj refunds crisis
The commission has been mired in controversies arising from a series of corruption allegations leading to the sack of two chief executives of the commission — Barrister Zikirullah Kunle Hassan and Barrister Jalal Ahmed Arabi — within the span of one year.
The commission has been the subject of various investigations and even raids by ICPC, EFCC and DSS over alleged corruption, misappropriation and money laundering by various cadre of officials – with the cases still pending.
President Bola Tinubu’s N90 billion intervention funds for the 2024 Hajj was the last straw that broke the camel’s back – exposing the rot in the commission’s financial ecosystem – and arrest and detention of key officials.
Also, weeks before his sack, Mr Zikirullah had to write to the Presidency requesting about N25 billion bailout to settle the balances of the Hajj airlines, which President Tinubu had granted. This is because even though pilgrims paid their Hajj fares in time, NAHCON couldn’t release them to CBN in time due to alleged managerial ineptitude of the commission, leading to foreign exchange fluctuations.
This is the biggest scandal that rocked the commission since its establishment that cost the federal government N25 billion. President Tinubu had to pay up to avert a looming nationwide embarrassment that would make the commission ask pilgrims to cough up additional money after returning from Hajj.
This brings to N115 billion as the total intervention by President Tinubu in less than two years to the commission — that for over a decade became self-sufficient by not collecting federal government grants to fund its operations.
Despite the commission’s new leadership under Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman’s earlier call to anti-graft agencies to monitor state pilgrims’ agencies, the commission is doing very little to ensure that states disburse the Hajj refunds to the beneficiaries in a transparent manner, insiders said. They complained that there is also no template for monitoring the refunds disbursement to beneficiaries on the side of the commission. This opaqueness in NAHCON’s fiscal management, stakeholders said, has helped in deepening schisms in the flora and fauna of Nigerian Hajj ecosystem. For instance, the Hajj commission announced N108 million (500,000 Saudi Riyal) as refunds for services not rendered or rendered poorly in the 2022 Hajj. However, insiders said the actual amount could have reached 12 million Saudi Riyal if the commission had not compromised or failed to dutifully verify the actual services not rendered. This was confirmed by a Hajj analyst, ‘Yinka Raheem in 2023, when he revealed in a publicized newspaper article that the Mu’assasah deducted 1.5 million Saudi Riyal from a single service provider alone that year. This service provider took further steps to inform the commission of what was deducted from him by the Mu’assasah. This applies to dozens of other service providers.
A Hajj stakeholder explained that the fact that 1.5 million Saudi Riyal was deducted by the Mu’assasah from one service provider, and only 500,000 Saudi Riyal was paid to NAHCON, led credence to Mr Raheem’s revelation that the actual refund accruable to the commission would have hit 12 million Saudi Riyal. To date, the Hajj commission has not come out publicly to refute this allegation.
The Hajj refund crisis has been deepening with travel agents under the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHOUN) threatening to pull out of the commission’s 2025 preparations for Hajj operations recently.
In September 2024, the tour operators accused NAHCON of withholding N2.75 billion belonging to its members. This claim was faulted by some stakeholders who have inside knowledge of the issue.
The AHUON National President Abdullateef Ekundayo said, “Even this 20 million Saudi Riyal, if not for the investigation EFCC conducted on the commission, we wouldn’t have known that it has been paid since December 2023.”
An official of one of the state pilgrims board who spoke in confidence for fear of a backlash said, “The withholding of the over 8.5 million Saudi Riyal Hajj refund is reprehensible and uncalled for.”
The top official said it is “contradictory that NAHCON, who called ICPC and EFCC to monitor state pilgrims’ boards, is now withholding billions of Hajj refunds.”
The state official said the reason advanced by NAHCON is not tenable. “All refunds are categorized and beneficiaries identified. It is therefore laughable that the commission is saying lack of breakdown and narrations are reasons behind the delay. Going by its explanation, does
it also mean that the two additional refunds of 1.73 million Saudi Riyal and 400,000 Saudi Riyal that NAHCON refused to disclose also came without narrations and breakdown? This is funny and ambiguous. The commission needs to look inward and come clean on this issue. Anti-graft agencies must be involved to unravel this mystery.”
The insider said after Jalal Arabi’s “scandalous era, we thought the intensity of recklessness would reduce, but unfortunately, it seems to be abating under the new leadership.” The source further alleged that the withheld refunds may likely be used for travels and DTAs by the top officials of the commission. In recent years, the commission has no respect for budgetary regulations.”
The insider claimed that the purported apparent lack of capacity by the incumbent NAHCON Chairman Abdullahi Usman creates an aperture for some commissioners and top management officials to take advantage of him in policy-making.
A long-term staff of the commission who served both Musa Bello, Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, and Zikirullah told this newspaper that the last term the commission conducted a transparent refund was during Mr Mukthar’s tenure, from 2015 to 2019.
“Even though I was not Mr Abdullahi Mukhtar’s fan when he was chairman because of his strictness and religious adherence to the rules, I can remember with nostalgia how he ensured the timely publication of the detailed refunds state-by-state and the amounts. Also, he deployed teams of NAHCON staff to states and tour operators’offices to ensure that the refunds were paid to the bona fide pilgrims. He also deployed anti-graft agencies’ officers to monitor the states’ compliance. These officers write a comprehensive report at the end of the exercise,” he said.
He recalled that in the past, the balance of the refunds unclaimed were returned to the commission by the states and tour operators. But that doesn’t happen now. The veteran staff tackled AHUON for its inability to ensure its members disburse the refunded funds to the affected private pilgrims. He alleged that over 90% of the tour operators have not paid the refunds to their pilgrims.
He regretted that unlike during Mr Abdullahi Mukhtar’s time, there is no mechanism in place now to ensure tour operators disburse the refunds to the beneficiaries. The official said ICPC and EFCC must invite tour operators to show evidence of disbursement to the beneficiaries. The top official urged EFCC and ICPC to investigate the 8.5 million Saudi Riyal Hajj refunds in NAHCON custody. “If that is not done, the commission may end up spending it on needless travels with bogus claims. Staff do travel without any schedule. A job that can be done by two or three staff members, the commission can send 15 or 20 staff members just to justify the expenses,” the official said. The staff appealed to Vice President Kashim Shettima to sack the chairman and disband the NAHCON board before it was too late. He also called for forensic audit of the NAHCON accounts from 2020 to date.
Reactions by NAHCON, AHUON When contacted, Mrs Usara said Saudi Arabia has not provided the requested narration and breakdown of the 6.4 million Saudi Riyal refunds. She said NAHCON has decided to share the money to all pilgrims who participated in the 2023 Hajj. “But this can only be done after consultations with the key stakeholders, that is states and tour operators,” she said.
On 2014 Hajj refunds, the NAHCON spokesperson said she was not aware of such refunds. “I have not heard anything about 2024 Hajj refunds. We are still working to resolve the 2023 Hajj refunds,” Mrs Usara said. The spokesperson said the commission had directed all tour operators to return evidence of disbursement to the commission. “And the tour operators have been doing that. After some time, the commission would compile the names of the defaulters and send them to the Evaluation and Monitoring Committee for necessary disciplinary action,”Mrs Usara said. On the additional refunds, she said she was not in the office on Thursday to provide a clear perspective on the matter.
On the level of compliance by AHUON members, Mr Ekundayo said they have sent circulars to all AHUON members to disburse the refunds to pilgrims and keep evidence of the disbursement.
On what the association would do to defaulting ones, he said “only NAHCON can sanction erring members. We don’t have such powers. We only encourage our members to disburse the refunds because the money belongs to the pilgrims.”
FEC Okay N2.5bn To Procure Satellite Technology To Combat Illegal Mining
The federal executive council (FEC) has approved a N2.5 billion budget for the procurement of satellite technology to tackle unlicensed and unregulated mining operations in the country.
Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
“The satellite equipment will be installed in strategic locations to provide real-time visual monitoring of mining operations nationwide,” the minister said.
“This technology will enable us to track mineral extraction, monitor truck movements, and assess security conditions at mine sites.
“Our approach has been two-pronged: persuasive and coercive. We have encouraged artisanal miners to form cooperatives, which has led to the formation of over 300 legalised societies.
“However, for those who remain recalcitrant, we have established the mining marshals to apprehend and prosecute illegal operators.
“Once these miners become legalised and structured, they can access financial institutions for loans, expand their businesses, and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s revenue.”
Alake said the satellite technology will be linked to a central command centre, allowing authorities to monitor activities at the click of a button.
The minister added that the technology will significantly improve efforts to combat illegal mining activities and ensure responsible and sustainable exploitation of mineral resources.
Alake said state governments are increasingly interfering in mining activities, posing a challenge to federal authorities’ efforts to regulate the sector.
“There have been cases of interference by states in mining activities. If there is an infraction in a state, the governor must consult us before taking action,” he said.
“We investigate and either act directly or authorise the state to act under federal cover.”
He noted that the government is working with Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser, and the ministry of defence to curb illegal operations.
Alake said efforts to combat illegal mining have led to the apprehension of 320 illegal operators.
According to the minister, 150 are facing prosecution, nine have been convicted, and four foreign nationals have been prosecuted and convicted.
Alake said Nigeria has lost trillions of naira to unregulated and illegal mining activities, adding that the federal government’s control over the gold mining industry is being limited by state influence, resulting in lost revenue.
To address the challenge, he said the government is cooperating with state governors and offering alternatives such as special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to ease tensions and encourage state participation.
‘FG TO DEPLOY SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITIES’
The minister said Nigeria has lost trillions of naira due to underreporting, illegal mining operations, and the challenges of monitoring its vast territory, describing the scale of losses as “mind-boggling”.
“A very elementary, non-scientific estimate we conducted in 2023 immediately after we assumed office revealed trillions of naira lost through unregulated, under-reported, and unlicensed mining activities,” he said.
“You should not ask how much the nation has gotten from gold; you should ask how much the nation has lost in gold. It is humongous, unheard of.”
Alake said the federal government will deploy satellite surveillance technology within the next month to monitor mining activities across the country, tackling revenue leakages and enhancing security.
The minister added that the initiative will enable the government to track operations even in remote locations, identify revenue leakages, and plug them to increase revenue flow.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says Nigerians are unfair to former military president, Ibrahim Babangida following the recent release of his memoir.
In the 420-page memoir titled, A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida’, the former military leader admitted that MKO Abiola won the 1993 election his government annulled.
His admission after 32 years generated different reactions across the country, with some critics saying that it was coming too late.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Uzor Kalu, who represents Abia North in the Senate, said that Nigerians are not being fair to Babangida.
“On the Babangida’s book, I think Nigerians are very unfair to Babangida because he came out on his own,” the former Abia State governor said on the programme.
“When I say the story is not complete, I wanted President Babangida to write more of the stories because the stories have not finished. There is more to the story, there are officers who told Babangida you cannot hand over to this man.”
Senator Kalu said that Babangida came out on his own to say what many people have not dared to say for a long time.
He said that Babangida in his book disclosed that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup, “a sin” which he said people have held against the Igbos for many years.
‘IBB should write a second book’
Senator Orji Kalu said that there is a need for Babangida to write a second book which will contain roles that other top military officers played in the June 1993 election fallout.
According to him, Babangida himself was in danger at the time considering the way he left power.
“More military people that were there should talk about this. There should be a second part of the book because if you mention only one name or two, it is not complete,” he said.
“They should go all hog and tell Nigerians the truth. Babangida should write a second book, I know that Babangida was in danger throughout those periods. If you remember the way he left power, you will know something was wrong.”
The annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election between Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and his main challenger Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) has remained a controversial political discussion in Nigeria.
The Federal Government, the European Union, International IDEA, and other stakeholders have emphasised the need for the enforcement of laws and policies addressing sexual offences and gender-based violence. They also stressed the importance of protecting vulnerable Nigerians.
This call was made at the 2nd Annual Conference of Commissioners of State Ministries of Women Affairs in Abuja, themed ‘Sub-National Policy and Practice for Enhancing Rights, Protection, and Justice for Women, Children, and Persons with Disabilities.’ The conference was organised by the European Union-funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC-Phase II) Programme of International IDEA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.
Concerned by the low levels of inclusion for women, children, and persons with disabilities (PWD) in national affairs, stakeholders gathered to strategise on ways to advocate for vulnerable citizens in Nigeria. They noted that achieving gender equality requires transforming social norms and power dynamics that support the political, social, and economic empowerment of the most marginalised, especially women, children, and PWD.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by her Senior Special Assistant on Women and Community Engagement, Princess Joan Jummai Idonije, stated that this year’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” is particularly relevant. It emphasises the need for renewed commitment and bold action to tackle gender parity issues.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim reiterated the importance of critically evaluating Nigeria’s policies and governance structures to ensure that interventions lead to tangible outcomes, particularly at the sub-national level where the needs are most urgent.
“We must ensure that every intervention is tracked, evaluated, and reported. Investing in state-level gender data systems will help us measure progress and feed into the national Women’s Empowerment and Protection Dashboard, ensuring accountability and transparency in our collective efforts,” she stressed.
She also appreciated RoLAC and other development partners’ continued support of women, children, and vulnerable groups. She commended State Commissioners for Women’s Affairs for their leadership and dedication to advancing gender equality at the sub-national level.
Danladi Plang, Head of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, urged state Commissioners to pursue the enactment and implementation of relevant laws for women, children, and PWD. He called on authorities to allocate resources and make investments to ensure the sector thrives beyond political rhetoric.
“The core objectives of the Rule of Law Programme are to increase access to justice for women, children, and persons with disabilities. Since 2017, in collaboration with the European Union, we have been implementing this programme across several states. We’ve supported the creation of legislation such as the Child Protection Law and the VAPP Law in various states,” Plang said.
He further explained that state ministries and commissioners are crucial in influencing policy implementation and serving as catalysts for change within their cabinets.
In an interview at the event, Plang disclosed that the Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) have assisted over 8,000 survivors. “Last year, we commissioned the NCPWD to ensure office buildings are accessible, and we’ve continued advocating for legislative changes with Commissioners to ensure that vulnerable groups are supported,” he said.
Oluwatoyosi Giwa, Project Manager of the Access to Justice RoLAC Programme, emphasised the conference’s goal to produce action plans that would directly benefit vulnerable citizens.
“By the end of these three days, we hope to develop actionable strategies that Commissioners can implement in their states to improve the lives of women, children, and persons with disabilities,” Giwa said. “Let us speak our truth and share our experiences so we can learn from one another and bring back tangible solutions.”
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, noted that many Nigerian states have enacted laws for women.