President Bola Tinubu has removed Jalal Arabi from his position as Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The announcement was made by Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, who also revealed that Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman has been appointed as the new Chairman of the agency.
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“Professor Usman is a renowned scholar with qualifications from two Islamic centres of excellence — the University of Madinah and Peshawar University, Pakistan.
“He is also well-grounded in Hajj operations, having served as the Chairman of Kano State Pilgrims Board, and successfully superintended the operations of the largest quota of state pilgrims in the country.
“The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate. The President expects the new Chairman of NAHCON to discharge his duties with integrity, transparency, and utmost fidelity to the nation.”
Arabi, appointed in October, faced issues related to the 2024 Hajj, for which the Federal Government had allocated N90 billion in subsidies.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Arabi and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, in connection with the matter.
According to an EFCC source, a total of 314,098 Saudi Riyals was recovered from the dismissed NAHCON chairman.
“The chairman fraudulently overpaid himself, the commissioners, secretary and directors for the 2024 hajj operational cost.
“The chairman was entitled to SR15,929 but he got SR50,000; three commissioners who were meant to get SR 15,929 each received SR 40,000 each. The secretary got SR 30,000 instead of SR14,336. Directors/Chief of Staff received SR 30,000 instead of the SR2,550 they were entitled to. The total of SR314,098 were recovered from all of them,” the source said.
