The Well-known of Team of workers to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Deputy Well-known of Team of workers, Ibrahim Hadeija, have referred to as for reforms on the Nationwide Hajj Fee to take on problems reminiscent of monetary mismanagement, negligence, mistreatment of pilgrims, and delays in pilgrimage arrangements.
Recall that the previous NAHCON Chairman, Jalal Arabi, used to be sacked because of allegations of unauthorised withdrawals and mismanagement of the N90 billion 2024 Hajj intervention treasure.
In line with a remark on Wednesday, from the Climate Space Media and Exposure Segment, Presidency officers made those remarks all through a fact-finding talk over with to NAHCON’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, as a part of their oversight of presidency companies beneath the Climate Space.
Gbajabiamila mentioned, “What happened has happened, and we are here to chart a way forward. It is time that the commission’s system is reformed so that it aligns with Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Previous, additionally they visited the Nationwide Disaster Control Company, the place Gbajabiamila steered that states may just play games a task in investment the company via insurance coverage schemes or alternative modes.
In his remarks, Gbajabiamila said, “It is a fee that are meant to no longer be present in any controversy, merely as a result of its mandate and what it represents. It’s a spiritual fee. It’s a fee this is eager as much as fulfil non secular and religious duties for women and men of religion.
”So we’re at all times shocked, even from the presen when I used to be a Speaker when problems that are meant to by no means arise, stand about this fee. Pilgrims walk each day to fulfil an Islamic non secular legal responsibility. Now not most effective that, after they’re there, they’re there as ambassadors of Nigeria.
”As ambassadors of Nigeria, it’s anticipated that they’re going to lift the brand and the flag of Nigeria on their complete chest to constitute, and to turn each in manner and behavior who and what we’re.”
Gbajabiamila expressed worry that Nigerian pilgrims incessantly enjoy mistreatment or broke group from the Fee, which now and again ends up in them no longer behaving as anticipated.
He said, “However time and again, our pilgrims and fellow Nigerians face maltreatment or deficit of correct organisation from this fee, and so they finally end up now and again no longer carrying out themselves the way in which they must.
”The dollar stops on the desk of the fee and also you should settle for accountability for what is going on right here and in Saudi Arabia when Nigerian pilgrims are there’ ”
On his phase as contained within the remark, the Deputy Well-known of Team of workers emphasised the will for early preparation for Hajj operations.
He said, “Hajj is basically a big-logistics operation. I used to be concerned within the 2024 operation, and one of the most key courses realized is the will for early preparation.
”Nigeria has the biggest quota of pilgrims from Africa, and now we have international locations whose quota is lower than the quantity from a circumstance in Nigeria.”
In his feedback, NAHCON’s Govt Commissioner for Coverage, Team of workers Control, and Finance, Malam Abdulrazak, prompt for a whole overhaul of the fee’s accounting device and higher federal persona illustration throughout the group, in step with the remark.
In a homogeneous building, all through his talk over with to NEMA, the Well-known of Team of workers emphasized the virtue of transitioning situation control in Nigeria from a reactive to a proactive way.
The remark learn partly, ”The mandate NEMA has is two-pronged: prevention of situation and mitigation of situation. Alternatively, it sounds as if that we listen extra on mitigation and let fall the alternative facet of the mandate, which is prevention.
”In turning the web page, we should glance extra intently on the department of prevention as a result of a accumulation of those failures can also be averted.
”What’s the function of the states? How do they arrive in? Will we tweak the legislation, and amend the law to be unclouded to the level that most likely the states method a style of insurance coverage scheme, and pay into the handbag within the method of counterpart investment?
”Those failures happen within the states. There’s deny land referred to as federal executive and each situation is native.”