ICPC arrests NAHCON top officer at work

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) has interrogated a top official of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

The NAHCON official, whose full details have not been known, was arrested by ICPC operatives at his office on Wednesday. He has since been released on bail.

Some media reports indicated that ICPC operatives raided the headquarters of NAHCON in Abuja on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the use of the N90 billion subsidy released to the commission by the federal government for the 2024 Hajj.

ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare confirmed the visit of the agency’s operatives to NAHCON in a phone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday.

But he said the visit was not a raid.

According to him, ICPC operatives visited NAHCON to pick up a top official who failed to honor an investigation extended to all the directors of the Hajj commission for questioning.

“Our team visited the office in what can be described as a friendly visit,” Mr Bakare said, refusing to give further details.

He said the NAHCON official, NAHCON’s Director of Procurement, whose further details have yet to be ascertained by our reporter, has been granted bail after answering questions.

Anti-corruption agencies have scrutinized the N90 billion Hajj subsidy released to NAHCON by the federal government for the 2024 Hajj.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited the NAHCON chairperson, Jalal Arabi, for questioning over the funds in July.

In May, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of N90 billion subsidy for the 2024 Hajj.

In July, some Northern governors raised concerns about the management of the subsidy.

NACON reacts

Our reporter visited NAHCON’s headquarters on Friday. The office environment was calm.

NAHCON’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Fatima Usara, told our reporter at her office that ICPC operatives did not raid NAHCON’s office as reported. She said the ICPC operatives only came for the Head of Procurement of NAHCON after he failed to honor the anti-corruption agency’s earlier invitation.

She said the ICPC operatives asked the man to accompany them for questioning.

“First of all, it is a lie,” she said of the reported raid on the commission office. “You can verify with our neighbors if this place was ransacked. All our directors are here at work, and I can show you,” Ms Usara said.

She also said the EFCC did not invite the NAHCON chairperson on suspicion of mismanagement of the N90 billion Hajj subsidy. She said it was an annual routine for the EFCC to request the NAHCON to give an account of its disbursements after Hajj.

NAHCON’s chair’s post-Hajj briefing

Giving a post-Hajj press briefing on 29 July, the NAHCON chairperson, Mr Arabi, said a significant portion of the N90 billion was allocated to bridge payment gaps for pilgrims.

“The federal government granted us a N90 billion subsidy, which we used to address the sharp increase in Hajj costs due to the high dollar exchange rate. The cost per seat arose above N9 million, and we intervened to mitigate the burden on pilgrims,” Mr Arabi explained.

He further said that the commission held meetings with representatives from all states to address the issue.

He said the commission granted N1.6 million subsidy to 50,000 pilgrims.

“We supplemented the remaining N1.6 million for each of the over 50,000 pilgrims to ensure their Hajj journey was not disrupted,” he said.

The N1.6 million subsidy for 50,000 pilgrims amounted to N80 billion, leaving about N10 billion balance of the N90 billion grant received from the federal government.

Mr Arabi said that the remaining funds were used prudently for other logistics. He did not provide a detailed breakdown of the use of the balance.

I have noted that NAHCON, unlike other commissions, does not receive regular subsidies from the federal government apart from salary allocations. Despite this, Mr Arabi said the NAHCON remains committed to delivering high-quality services to pilgrims.