The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), on Tuesday, called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to probe the management of the N90 billion allocated to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the 2024 Muslim pilgrimage.
The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government had paid a sum of N90 billion to subsidise the 2024 Hajj operations.
In a statement signed by Akinteye Babatunde Afeez (President of the Senate NANS) and Muhammad Sab (National Vice President NANS) and made available to journalists, NANS expressed deep concern over the recent revelations regarding the alleged inefficiencies and failure of the 2024 Hajj operations.
They lamented that the substantial N90 billion subsidy, which could significantly impact the education sector, had been misused and could have been better spent improving our nation’s educational infrastructure.
The students said the misallocation of resources had led to unnecessary hardships for many Nigerian pilgrims and raised serious questions about the operational efficiency and accountability of NAHCON.
They therefore called on the Federal Government to critically review and reduce the funding allocated to NAHCON
They said:” We express profound concern over the recent revelations regarding the inefficiencies and failures of the 2024 Hajj operations as managed by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
“We noticed significant issues, including NAHCON’s overreach in functioning as an operator rather than a regulator, and the mismanagement of the N90 billion subsidy allocated for the Hajj operations.
“The recent Hajj exercise has been widely criticised as a failure, plagued by substantial logistical issues and inadequate care for pilgrims. The fact that pilgrims were given only $400 to sustain themselves for approximately 40 days, despite each pilgrim paying N8 million, highlights the severe mismanagement within NAHCON.
“We call on the Federal Government to critically review and reduce the funding allocated to NAHCON. The substantial N90 billion subsidy, which could significantly impact the education sector, has been misused and could have been better spent improving our nation’s educational infrastructure. This amount could cover the Universal Basic Education budget for four years, indicating the scale of potential misallocation.
“We call on the National Assembly to probe the N90 billion subsidy paid for the Hajj operations. There is an urgent need for transparency and accountability in how these funds are managed.
“The current model, where NAHCON acts both as an operator and a regulator, is deeply flawed and needs immediate restructuring. The suggestion to privatize Hajj operations, leaving NAHCON as a regulatory body, should be seriously considered to prevent future inefficiencies”.
The students advocated a reallocation of these funds to the education sector.
According to them, “increasing lecturers’ salaries is crucial to improving the welfare and morale of our educators, which in turn will enhance the quality of education. Furthermore, investment in educational infrastructure is essential to providing a conducive learning environment for our students. Additionally, supporting student programs and initiatives through scholarships, grants, and bursaries will ease financial burdens and promote academic excellence”.