A recent report alleging that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) spent over N1.64 billion on the spouses of staff during the 2025 Hajj is not only false but maliciously intended to mislead the public and tarnish the image of the Commission. The claim that NAHCON’s Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, lodged at Hilton Makkah Suites at a cost of $1,000 per night and brought along 12 family members is patently false and without a shred of credible evidence.
There is no policy within NAHCON that provides public funding for the travel or accommodation of staff spouses. What exists is a welfare initiative that allows staff, who are deployed for 35 to 40 days in Saudi Arabia, to sponsor spouses at a special rebated rate as approved by the NAHCON Board, and strictly at the staff own expense.
The package provided to such spouses is deliberately stripped of several core Hajj components such as Makkah accommodation, feeding, Basic Travel Allowance (BTA), and inter city transportation, all of which the staff is expected to cover personally from their legitimate estacode. The Commission does not and has never budgeted or paid for these excluded services on behalf of any spouse.
This practice is not unique to NAHCON. Across various federal institutions in Nigeria and globally, such staff support mechanisms are standard. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), for instance, offers fuel rebates and allowances for dependents. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) extends discounted staff housing and overseas training support for family members. Similarly, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Foreign Service allow certain forms of family support to staff on duty tours. NAHCON’s policy in this regard is consistent with these norms, designed to boost staff morale, not to enrich individuals or encourage abuse.
The conclusion that most staff could not have afforded to sponsor their spouses based on a crude cost analysis of estacode earnings is intellectually dishonest. Sponsorship of a spouse is entirely optional and based on personal affordability. In some cases, spouses themselves contribute towards their own travel. The Commission has never prohibited such contributions.
There is nothing improper or unlawful about a staff spouse supporting their own Hajj trip if they meet all necessary criteria and cover costs independently or in partnership with their spouse.
Moreover, the arithmetic presented in the report is not only speculative but also deliberately skewed. It assumes uniform prices, rigid spending patterns, and ignores the flexibility with which individuals manage their allowances. Staff are well aware that the spouse package includes only few components—visa, flight ticket, Masha’ir and Madinah accommodation—and they plan accordingly. NAHCON neither misleads staff about the scope of the package nor bears any cost beyond what is clearly stated in the internal policy.
Equally dishonest is the claim that the Chairman stays in Hilton Makkah Suites at an extravagant $1,000 per night or that he brought 12 family members along. This is a complete fabrication. There is no record, financial or otherwise, supporting the Hilton claim.
Furthermore, no family members of the Chairman were appointed to NAHCON committees, and the Commission maintains a record for such appointments. The Chairman paid for all his spouses through proper channels and not even their visas were processed under NAHCON.
The Commission is also disturbed by the insinuation that unnamed “spouses” have taken over accommodations meant for state pilgrims or other officials. This again is untrue. All accommodations for NAHCON committee members are allocated in accordance with operational plans, and any unauthorised occupation is immediately addressed through a well-coordinated monitoring team.
The claim that the Commission spent close to a billion naira on illegal services for 400 spouses is not only baseless but deliberately concocted. NAHCON has no financial records, payment orders, or internal approvals indicating any such expenditure.
Finally, the call for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to audit NAHCON finances, while well within the rights of concerned stakeholders, must not be based on falsehoods and sensationalism. NAHCON undergoes regular statutory audits from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and maintains full compliance with financial accountability and reporting standards. If any credible evidence of financial misconduct exists, the appropriate place for redress is with the oversight institutions, not through shadowy allegations in newspaper columns.
It is unfortunate that such an ill-intentioned and unsubstantiated report is being circulated at a time when NAHCON has successfully managed one of the most complex and religiously significant national assignments. This success seems to be haunting those who had wished the Hajj operations would fail therefore with the absence of credible evidence of scandals, they resort to manufacturing stories to discredit the NAHCON.
The Commission remains committed to accountability, transparency, and ethical conduct in its operations. We urge the public and stakeholders to disregard these fabrications and trust in NAHCON’s proven record of service, integrity, and commitment to the Nigerian pilgrims and staff welfare.
* Alhaji Mubarak Oyewale, a 2025 Hajj pilgrim, writes from Ilorin, Kwara State
