Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission, NAHCON, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh-Usman, to stop behaving like a Sole Administrator in running the affairs of Nigerian pilgrims.
The Independent mirror reports that the vice president issued this warning in an official communication sent to the NAHCON chairman over the allegations of violation of procurement process, gross misconduct, sidelining of the commission board members, illegal appointment of aides, among others.
Mr Shettima’s warning was contained in a letter dated March 17, 2025, with reference number SH/OVP/DCOS/NAHCON, and titled ‘Re-Deliberate Exclusion from the Exercise of Oversight Functions.’
The letter was signed by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia.
Mr Shettima frowned at the NAHCON chairman style of setting up committees to be taking decisions on behalf of the board in violation of the commission act.
“The act does not envisage a sole administrator role and each member has a responsibility to the zone or entity he or she represents, especially with regards to all decisions relating to pilgrims welfare,” Mr Shettima warned.
“Accordingly, His Excellency the Vice President has asked that your attention be drawn to the provisions of the NAHCON act especially
Mr Shettima’s warning is coming days after the NAHCON board members’ petition to his office over an alleged gross misconduct being perpetrated by Mr Usman.
The six-page petition, dated March 13, 2025 and titled, “Deliberate exclusion from the oversight functions,” was signed by the eight NAHCON non-permanent commissioners representing six geo-political zones and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, and Jama’atul Nasril Islam, JNI.
They accused the Professor of excluding them from their statutory oversight responsibilities in the commission.
The signatories to the petition are Professor Muhammad Umaru Ndagi (North-central), Alhaji Abba K. Jato (Northeast), Shaykh Muhammad Bn Uthman (Northwest), Hajiya Aishat Obi (Southeast), Zainab Musa (South-south), Dr Tajudeen Abefe Oladejo (Southwest), Professor Adedimeji Mahfouz Adebola (NSCIA), and Professor Musa Inuwa Fodio (JNI).
Earlier, the Association of Senior Civil Servants in Nigeria has accused NAHCON of alleged favoritism and unjust placement of pool officers over the commission workers.
The workers revealed this in a letter titled, “Urgent concerns regarding the placement of pool officers and administrative lapses”, dated March 3, 2025, and addressed to the NAHCON executive council and board members.
