Vice President Kashim Shettima has on Wednesday inaugurated the Board of Directors of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The board, which is the fifth in the commission’s history, is headed by the Executive Chairman of NAHCON, Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi.
In a press release, Hajiya Fatima Sanda Usara, the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, NAHCON, indicated that the inauguration ceremony took place in the office of the Vice President.
The board members proceeded to their new office in the Hajj House immediately, Usara said.
She added that during the board’s inaugural meeting with the NAHCON management, Malam Arabi extended a warm welcome to the new members, expressing confidence in their capabilities.
He assured them of the same level of cooperation from the staff as enjoyed by him when he assumed duty on acting capacity in the last four months and called upon NAHCON’s dedicated staff to extend their similar support to their new bosses in the pursuit of the commission’s goals.
The newly appointed members are:
- Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi — Chairman
- Aliu Abdulrazaq — Commissioner, Policy, Personnel & Finance (PPMF)
- Prince Anofi Elegushi — Commissioner, Operations
- Professor Abubakar A. Yagawal — Commissioner, Planning & Research, Information Statistics and Library Services
- Dr. Muhammad Umaru Ndagi — Board Member, North-central
- Abba Jato Kala — Board Member, North-east
- Sheikh Muhammad Bin Othman — Board Member, North-west
- Tajudeen Oladejo Abefe — Board Member, South-west
- Aishat Obi Ahmed — Board Member, South-east
- Zainab Musa — Board Member, South-south
- Professor Musa Inuwa Fodio — Board Member/Representative, Jama’atu Nasril Islam
- Professor Adedimizi Mahfouz Adebola — Representative/Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs
Expressing their gratitude, the new board members acknowledged the chairman’s fatherly role and welcomed his warm reception from the outset of their meeting.
In their individual comments, the members made assurances to support the chairman in the quest for success.
Similarly, they separately expressed their appreciation to the Almighty God for the privilege to serve and prayed for guidance in their new assignments.
In his closing remarks, Dr Abdullahi Rabi’u Kontagora, the Secretary of the commission, lauded the intellectual prowess of the new board members, describing them as a group with a good number of persons with diverse and advanced knowledge and experience as never witnessed in one single board of the commission since inception.
He described the fifth board as a new chapter of the commission with its blend of experts starting with its head, Malam Arabi, from whom he had learned a lot of administrative skills within a short while.
Kontagora expressed optimism that their skills and knowledge would be deployed in the service of Allah, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and commitment to the welfare of Nigerian pilgrims.
