Vice President Kashim Shettima has cautioned the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof. Abdullahi Saleh-Usman, against running the commission like a sole administrator.
The Vice President issued the warning in an official correspondence to the NAHCON Chairman following allegations of procurement violations, gross misconduct, sidelining of board members, illegal appointment of aides, among others.
The warning was contained in a letter dated March 17, 2025, with reference number SH/OVP/DCOS/NAHCON, titled “Re: Deliberate Exclusion from the Exercise of Oversight Functions.”
The letter was signed by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia.
Mr. Shettima expressed disapproval over the chairman’s approach of forming committees to make decisions on behalf of the board—an action he said contravenes the NAHCON Act.
“The NAHCON Act does not envisage a sole administrator role. Each member has a responsibility to the zone or entity they represent, especially regarding all decisions relating to pilgrims’ welfare,” Mr. Shettima stated.
“Accordingly, His Excellency the Vice President has asked that your attention be drawn to the relevant provisions of the NAHCON Act,” the letter added.
The Vice President’s letter followed a petition submitted to his office by NAHCON board members, accusing Prof. Usman of gross misconduct.
Petition by Commissioners
As reported by SolaceBase, the six-page petition dated March 13, 2025, and titled “Deliberate Exclusion from the Oversight Functions” was signed by eight non-permanent commissioners representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, as well as the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI).
They accused the chairman of sidelining them from their statutory oversight responsibilities.
The petition was signed by:
Prof. Muhammad Umaru Ndagi (North Central)
Alhaji Abba K. Jato (North East)
Shaykh Muhammad Bn Uthman (North West)
Hajiya Aishat Obi (South East)
Zainab Musa (South South)
Dr. Tajudeen Abefe Oladejo (South West)
Prof. Adedimeji Mahfouz Adebola (NSCIA)
Prof. Musa Inuwa Fodio (JNI)
Civil servants’ allegations
Separately, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria accused NAHCON of favoritism and unjust placement of pool officers over career commission staff.
The concerns were raised in a letter titled “Urgent Concerns Regarding the Placement of Pool Officers and Administrative Lapses,” dated March 3, 2025, and addressed to the NAHCON Executive Council and Board.
On rehiring retired staff
In another letter titled “Re: Request for Special Waiver to Appoint 3 Retired Officers on Contract,” signed by Senator Hadejia and addressed to the NAHCON Chairman, Mr. Shettima strongly opposed the re-engagement of former staff or external civil servants.
The letter stated: “His Excellency the Vice President has expressed a strong objection to rehiring former staff of the commission on a contract basis or engaging external civil servants, to the detriment of staff who are already assigned those roles and responsibilities.”
Mr. Shettima warned that such actions would “engender redundancy and create unnecessary discord and rancour within NAHCON’s ranks.”
He further advised Prof. Usman to reverse any such engagements and instruct the Human Resources Unit to conduct a proper mandate and capability assessment of the workforce, so roles could be reassigned or capacities built as needed.
Protocol violation
The Office of the Vice President also reprimanded Prof. Usman for breaching State House protocol in submitting official communications.
The letter read: “I refer to your letter ref: NAHCON/Al/17/XI/645, dated 11th February 2025 but received in my office on March 17 due to a breach in OVP correspondence protocol.”
“Hand-delivering official correspondence to individual personnel is a flagrant breach of State House external mail protocol and will not be tolerated.”
Reactions from staff
Some NAHCON staff members praised Vice President Shettima for his intervention, calling it “long overdue.”
They condemned what they described as Prof. Usman’s “clandestine” attempts to rehire retired staff despite assuring workers during a meeting that the idea had been dropped.
“We are happy with Vice President Shettima’s intervention. It is long overdue. At the same time, we are disappointed in Professor Usman’s backdoor approach to rehire retired staff and outsiders. This is a betrayal of trust,” one official said anonymously.
However, others believe the situation has gone beyond redemption. “He has created a toxic working environment in the commission and in the Hajj industry. His removal is the only solution,” another anonymous source stated.
Call for Removal
According to Daily Nigerian, some staff members alleged that the chairman has fought with nearly every stakeholder—staff, board members, executive secretaries of state pilgrim boards, airlines, tour operators, and even Saudi service providers.
“He is irredeemable. The Vice President should sack him before he plunges the 2025 Hajj operations into an unprecedented catastrophe,” a source said.
They also alleged nepotism, claiming the chairman has effectively handed over the commission’s operations to family members—his son Aliyu (Personal Assistant), brother Surajo (Special Adviser), nephew Abdulmalik Diggi (Special Adviser and Deputy Director of Accounts), and a security detail, Abubakar.
The officials urged the Director-General of the SSS to remove Abubakar from NAHCON, alleging that he has abandoned his protective duties and now interferes in the commission’s daily operations.
