*Photo L-R: Chairman/CEO of NAHCON, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman and the National coordinator Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team,Ibrahim Abubakar Nagarta*
Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman and the Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team (NHMST) have debunked alleged unilateral revocation, by the Chairman, of the contract signed with service providers for the 2025 Hajj.
A news story had claimed that
“thousands of Nigerian intending pilgrims may be unable to perform the 2025 Hajj due to the cancellation of the Masha’ir contract by the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman”.
Both the NAHCON Chairman and
NHMST said the story is a blatant lie.
Daily Trust newspaper quoted Professor Saleh Usman as saying that “The contract of the two companies was cancelled by the Saudi authorities themselves. They were reinstated again and they cancelled the contract once more.”
He added that “This is the reason I hurriedly travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet with the authorities concerned. A meeting was scheduled yesterday (Sunday) but it could not hold for some reason and it’s shifted to today.
“We want to know why the contract was canceled. On our part the NAHCON did not cancel their contract. We want this disagreement between the companies and the Saudi authority to not affect NAHCON’s arrangement. This is the reason I am meeting with them today. We want them to tell us what is going on.
“If they want to renew the contract, let them do it once and for all. If they want to substitute them, this should be made clear. This would be done instantly to avoid hitches.”
He added that “Our pilgrims will be glad with the arrangements we put in place. They will commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for entrusting us with this post. We are working unrelentingly to execute this project.”
The National coordinator Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team,Ibrahim Abubakar Nagarta, also absolved the NAHCON Chairman of allegations against him.
He said in a statement on Monday that “The Nigerian Hajj Media Support Team, has confirmed today being Monday 10th February, 2025 from a reliable source from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that the speculations and rumours making the round that NAHCON Chairman Prof Abdullahi Saleh Usman Pakistan has single handedly revoked the MoU already signed between the Nigerian Hajj Commission and Saudi service providers, is nothing but a blatant lie and also an attempt by some undesirable elements who are bent on causing unnecessary confusion and fracas in the Nigerian Hajj industry, in order to achieve their selfish interests at the detriment of innocent intending pilgrims. “
He stressed that “The Nigerian Hajj media Support team is therefore, calling on all people of good conscience to disregard and jettison such unfounded and baseless strory or rumours rather, as full details about this sensitive issue will be made public in due course and in no distant time.”