President Bola Tinubu has dismissed Jalal Arabi from his position as Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON),Daily Trust reports,Daily.
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 commission.
“Professor Usman is a distinguished scholar with qualifications from two prestigious Islamic institutions — the University of Madinah and Peshawar University in Pakistan. He is also highly experienced in Hajj operations, having previously served as the Chairman of the Kano State Pilgrims Board, where he managed the largest quota of state pilgrims in the country.
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The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. The President expects the new Chairman of NAHCON to perform his duties with integrity, transparency, and unwavering commitment to the nation,” the statement read.
Arabi, who was appointed in October, faced challenges related to the 2024 Hajj, for which the Federal Government had allocated N90 billion in subsidies.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested Arabi and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, in connection with the issue.
An EFCC source disclosed that 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 costs. The chairman was entitled to SR15,929 but received SR50,000; three commissioners who were meant to get SR15,929 each received SR40,000 each. The secretary received SR30,000 instead of SR14,336, and directors/chief of staff received SR30,000 instead of SR2,550. The total of SR314,098 was recovered from all of them,” the source said.
