Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State has called for a comprehensive review of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria’s (NAHCON) activities.
In a statement released on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, Governor Bago voiced his concerns during an interview with journalists in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, while assessing this year’s Hajj operations.
Governor Bago criticized NAHCON for functioning as an operator of Hajj activities instead of fulfilling its intended regulatory role. He highlighted various difficulties faced by pilgrims and characterized the 2024 Hajj exercise as a failure.
To address these issues, Bago proposed that Hajj operations be managed by the private sector to ensure more effective and efficient service delivery. He also mentioned his intention to lead a committee of state governors to engage with relevant authorities to review and improve NAHCON’s activities.
“Let the private sector drive Hajj operations; NAHCON should be a regulator at the centre. I am leading a committee of governors to the Nigeria Governor’s Forum, from there, we go to the NEC. “I will propose this motion and we will send a bill to the National Assembly where this issue of NAHCON would be reviewed.
“NAHCON is not helping matters, our Federal Government is too big to be worried about Hajj operations, these are supposed to be local government issues and not even state issues,” Bago said.
