The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) is reportedly embroiled in an internal administrative crisis following allegations of significant distortions in its organisational hierarchy.
According to a report by Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), operational control in several key departments is being vested in junior officers, a move that allegedly violates established civil service rules and threatens to undermine the commission’s mandate.
This reported arrangement has created deep-seated internal frictions and operational dysfunction within departments that are critical to the success of Hajj preparations.
In the procurement department, a junior officer is said to be performing duties strictly reserved for the most senior officers, a development that has already triggered formal objections from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and raised serious questions regarding adherence to merit and due process.
The situation is mirrored in the ICT department, where the substantive head—a highly qualified official central to the management of the essential E-Track platform—has reportedly been sidelined in favour of an aide to the Commission’s chairman.
This move is viewed with particular concern given that the E-Track system is the primary vehicle for Hajj transactions and is fundamental to the successful execution of operational plans.
Similarly, in the media department, responsibilities traditionally handled by an Assistant Director have reportedly been reassigned to a much lower-ranking officer, further exacerbating the administrative imbalance.
While the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer maintains the authority to assess staff capacity and deploy personnel based on competence, the IHR warned that these practices are eroding staff morale at a critical stage of Hajj preparations.
The report suggests that the senior officers currently being bypassed possess significantly more institutional knowledge and experience than the junior officers being favored. Such a scenario, likened to bypassing a chief accounting officer for direct reporting by subordinates, is described as a recipe for organizational instability.
In light of these developments, Independent Hajj Reporters has urged the NAHCON leadership to urgently review and reverse these anomalies.
The group maintains that any perceived lapses in performance should be addressed through established disciplinary and performance management channels rather than the sidelining of senior staff, ensuring that the commission remains consistent with lawful civil service procedures and maintains professionalism for the sake of Nigerian pilgrims.
