The president of AHUON, Abdul Lateef Ekundayo, has announced that its members have been instructed to cease all ongoing plans to prepare for the 2025 Hajj exercise.
The Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) accused the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) of refusing to reimburse its members money they paid to carry out the trip in previous years.
Ekundayo clarified that after meeting with the association’s Board of Trustees, the National Executive Council (NEC) decided that the action was required.
“It is with a deep sense of responsibility that we write to issue this directive that all actions with respect to the Hajj 2025 preparation be suspended until further notice.
“Members who have made payment for Hajj 2025 should not submit it until a counter directive is given.
“Members that have collected the form, submitted it and made payment should send the name of their company to the zonal Vice President.
“This will ensure that all our requests before NAHCON are duly met, especially our accumulated refunds over the years,” the statement read.
Recall that the former NAHCON Chairman, Jalal Arabi, was sacked due to allegations of unauthorised withdrawals and mismanagement of the N90bn 2024 Hajj intervention fund while Prof. Abdullahi Usman was appointed to take his place.
One of the numerous disputes that called into question the openness of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria’s (NAHCON) management was the payment of the AHUON budget.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is investigating the N90bn subsidy granted by President Bola Tinubu for the 2024 pilgrimage activity.
The commission’s leaders had allegedly misappropriated and embezzled the money, as revealed by the anti-graft agency.