The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for adopting Public-Private Partnership (PPP) procurement methodology to develop property worth N1.5 billion in Kano State.
The acting Director-General of ICRC, Mr Michael Ohiani, made the commendation, while presenting Certificate of Outline Business Case (OBC) Compliance to the Chairman of NAHCON, Zikrullah Hassan, on Monday in Abuja.
Ohiani said that NAHCON had identified that the commercial development of some of its property would help to raise the needed funds to meet up with the continuous growth of Hajj activities in the country and become self-sustaining.
He explained that NAHCON received an unsolicited proposal from a reputable construction firm seeking to develop NAHCON’s 2.6 hectres property located at one of their Zonal Offices in Kano through Public-Private Partnership arrangements for the purpose of commercial shops and warehouses.
According to him, the project is to be concession for a period of 35 years and will be executed by a private capital to the tune of about N1.57 billion.
He said the project would be a major source of Internally Generated Revenue for the commission to function much more effectively and efficiently.
Ohiani, therefore, commended the chairman and management of NAHCON for their innovativeness in exploring the option of PPP to become self-sustaining.
Responding, the NAHCON boss, Hassan, said the project would help put to use some of the property of the commission that were underutilised.
He expressed the hope that the ICRC would help the commission put back more of its wasted property across the country into asset that would be of value to the commission.
According to him, if the commission increases it revenue base, it will no longer rely on hajj operation as it only source of revenue.
“This arrangement will also enable the commission generate revenue for the Federal Government instead of only receiving from the government,” Hassan said.
The highpoint of the event was the symbolic presentation of the OBC certificate of compliance to the Chairman of NAHCON.
