A coalition of Civil Society Organisations and Muslim professionals has intensified calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to return the supervision of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)) to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
They warned that the current arrangement under the Office of the Vice President undermines efficiency and weakens accountability.
The coalition, led by Hassan Abdullahi and Danladi Bello, said the rising wave of petitions, open letters and formal submissions from stakeholders reflects deepening concern across the Hajj ecosystem over the 2023 directive that placed NAHCON under the Vice President.
They argued that the NAHCON Establishment Act situates the Commission under the Presidency, a mandate historically carried out through the SGF as a neutral administrative authority.
Tracing the evolution of Hajj administration in Nigeria, the coalition recalled the transition from regional pilgrim boards in the 1950s to the creation of the Nigeria Pilgrims Board in 1975, and eventually the establishment of NAHCON in 2006 following years of operational lapses, including the 1996 suspension of Nigerian pilgrims by Saudi Arabia.
They maintained that SGF coordination had long ensured stability, inter-agency cooperation and clarity in reporting lines.
“The Act does not say Office of the Vice President. It says Presidency,” the coalition insisted.
The organisations argued that transferring supervision to the Vice President introduced political considerations into what should be a technocratic and coordination-focused function.
They cited concrete gains recorded under SGF oversight, including the full utilisation of Nigeria’s 95,000 Hajj quota in 2023 for the first time in nearly a decade; the successful airlift of more than 51,000 government-quota pilgrims in 2024 despite economic pressures; and the adoption of direct accommodation agreements with Saudi landlords, which eliminated intermediaries and saved millions of naira.
The Amana Farmers and Grains Suppliers Association of Nigeria (AFGSAN), in a letter signed by its Jigawa State chairman, Aliyu Yunusa Yandutse, urged the President to restore NAHCON’s oversight to the SGF.
Yandutse noted that stability in Hajj administration directly affects ordinary Nigerians who save for years to perform the pilgrimage.
Similarly, Tsangaya Support Transformation and Empowerment Initiative, after deliberations by its executives and board members, passed a resolution backing the return of NAHCON to SGF supervision, saying the move would reinforce continuity, efficiency and accountability.
In a separate letter addressed to President Tinubu, Goni Ibrahim Garba and Dr Usman Ahmad outlined legal and operational grounds for reversing the 2023 directive.
They argued that the SGF, as the Presidency’s coordinating arm, is better positioned to align ministries and agencies responsible for logistics, foreign exchange approvals, health services and security screenings for pilgrims.
While commending the leadership of the Commission’s Chairman, Prof Abdullahi Saleh Usman, for what he described as the strongest Hajj administration in decades, a hajj official, Muhammed Suleman Gama, warned that external pressures could jeopardise ongoing reforms.
