Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), a faith-based Civil Society Organization (CSO) that monitors and reports on Hajj and Umrah activities, has advised the ad hoc committee set up by the House of Representatives to investigate the 2024 Hajj to suspend the investigation to allow the Executive Secretaries of State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards to concentrate on pre-Hajj 2025 preparations.
IHR advised in a statement signed by its national coordinator Ibrahim Muhammed on Monday.
“We acknowledge the power of the legislature to investigate the conduct of state authorities, and we are also conscious of the fact that there were operational lapses during this year’s Hajj operation.
“However, as a CSO that fully participated and monitored the 2024 Hajj, we attest to the fact the conduct of the 2024 Hajj is better than the preceding one in terms of quality of services rendered to pilgrims except the controversy witnessed at TENT A where some VIP customers of Private Tour Operators complained of their inability to be given space in the exclusive TENTS,” IHR said.
The CSO also said it is aware that the major reason for the investigation of Hajj 2024 is the alleged mismanagement of the N90 billion government intervention fund and other financial irregularities by the former chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
IHR said the country’s anti-corruption agencies are already conducting investigations on the same issues, and the heads of the two agencies targeted by the House Committee have been removed from office.
“Conducting a parallel investigation on NAHCON and the FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board over the 2024 Hajj exercise by the house committee at this critical time whereby top officials from around the country are invited to Abuja to appear before the committee have the tendency to disrupt preparations for next year’s Hajj.
IHR argues that members of the House Committee on Muslim Pilgrims affairs have participated in the conduct of the 2024 Hajj and should therefore be in a position to understand the causative factors of some of the challenges experienced which are not different from what other hajj participating countries experienced at the Holy land.
“Inviting all States Muslims pilgrim’s welfare Boards to Abuja for a hearing at a time they are supposed to concentrate on 2025 Hajj registration is counterproductive especially when the 1st scheduled date of the hearing was postponed after the pilgrim’s board Chairmen were already in Abuja.
“The adhoc committee had earlier invited all the heads of state pilgrims board to attend the hearing in Abuja on the 4th of November 2024.
“However, Executive Secretaries of States only got to know that the hearing had been postponed to November 12 after arriving in Abuja. This is a sheer waste of time and resources coming at a time of critical economic challenges,” IHR said.
