Gbajabiamila canvasses better treatment for pilgrims

Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, has empahaised the need for reforms within the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to curb financial mismanagement, negligence and maltreatment of pilgrims.

Gbajabiamila made the call on Wednesday during a fact-finding visit to NAHCON headquarters in Abuja.

It was reported that the visit was part of efforts to engage with government agencies under the supervision of State House.

He said NAHCON should not be involved in any controversy because of its mandate and what it represented.

“It’s a religious commission. It’s a commission that was set up to fulfill religious and spiritual obligations for men and women of faith.

“Pilgrims travel every year to fulfill an Islamic obligation. Not only that, when they’re there, they’re there as ambassadors of Nigeria.

“As ambassadors of Nigeria, it is expected that they will carry the emblem and the flag of Nigeria on their full chest to represent, and to show both in demeanour and conduct, who and what we are.

“We regret the fact that quite often pilgrims are maltreated due to improper organisation by NAHCON during hajj operations,” he said.

According to him, pilgrims end up sometimes not conducting themselves appropriately, and that the Commission must accept responsibility for the the conduct of pilgrims both in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

He urged the management and staff of the Commission to work closely with the Office of the Vice-President, which oversees the agency, to identify past mistakes, make corrections and ensure seamless operations for pilgrims.

“What happened has happened and we are here to chart a way forward.

“It is time that the system of the commission is reformed in such a way that it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.

Also, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, echoed the Chief of Staff’s position, emphasising the need for early preparation for Hajj.

“Hajj is essentially a big-logistics operation. I was involved in the 2024 operation, and one of the key lessons learnt is the need for early preparation.

“Nigeria has the largest quota of pilgrims from Africa, and we have countries whose quota is less than the number from a state in Nigeria.

“The Hajj Commission also needs to be more transparent in informing pilgrims what they are paying for,” Hadeija said.

Responding, Prince Aliu Abdulrazak, NAHCON’s Executive Commissioner, Policy, Personnel Management and Finance, called for an overhaul of the commission’s accounting system.

He also called for an improve of federal character representation within the organisation.

“The Commission is described as a national entity, but federal character is not fully represented.

“If you go through the nominal roll, it is dominated by a particular region,” Abdulrazak said.

Similarly, the Chief of Staff visited the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and stressed the need to shift disaster management from a reactive to a proactive approach.

He emphasised the importance of prevention over mitigation, and noted that many disasters in the country could be avoided with better preparation and early warnings.

“The mandate NEMA has is two pronged: prevention of disaster and mitigation of disaster.

“But it appears that we concentrate more on mitigation and leave the other side of the mandate, which is prevention.

“We must look more closely at the area of prevention because a lot of these disasters can be prevented,” he said.