N90bn scandal : Tinubu sacks Jalal Arabi, appoints new NAHCON Chairman
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman as the Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
This appointment comes just as the former Chairman, Jalal Arabi is being sacked over the alleged mismanagement of the N90bn 2024 Hajj subsidy.
The news of the appointment was contained in a statement released by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) to the President on Monday.
The new Chairman, Professor Usman is described as a renowned scholar with qualifications from the University of Madinah and Peshawar University, Pakistan.
“The new NAHCON Boss is also well-grounded in Hajj operations, having served as the Chairman of Kano State Pilgrims Board, where he successfully superintended the operations of the largest quota of state pilgrims in the country” the statement reads.
The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
President Tinubu expects Professor Usman to discharge his duties with integrity, transparency, and utmost fidelity to the nation.
Recently, NAHCON leadership was embroiled in a corruption case. The former Executive Chairman, Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora were held by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the alleged mismanagement of the over illegal withdrawal and the alleged mismanagement of the N90bn 2024 Hajj intervention fund.
A total of SR314,098 was said to have been ecovered from Arabi and other ranking officials.
The anti-graft agency said it discovered that, from the N90bn Hajj subsidy, Arabi fraudulently overpaid himself and others above the necessary operational cost.
