By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) witnessed a significant moment today as the fifth board, headed by Malam Ahmad Arabi, was inaugurated by His Excellency Kashim Shettima, the Vice President of Nigeria, on 28th February 2024.

The inauguration ceremony took place in the esteemed office of the Vice President. The Board Members proceeded to their new office in the Hajj House immediately.

During the Board’s inaugural meeting with the NAHCON management, Chairman Malam Ahmad Arabi extended a warm welcome to the new Board Members, expressing confidence in their capabilities. He assured them of the same level of cooperation from the staff as enjoyed by him when he assumed duty on acting capacity in the last four months. He called upon NAHCON’s dedicated staff to extend their similar support to their new bosses in the pursuit of the Commission’s goals.

The newly appointed members of the Board are:

1. Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi — Chairman
2. Aliu Abdulrazaq — Commissioner, Policy, Personnel, & Finance (PPMF)
3. Prince Anofi Elegushi — Commissioner, Operations
4. Professor Abubakar A. Yagawal — Commissioner, Planning & Research, Information Statistics and Library Services

ZONAL REPRESENTATIVES:

1. Dr. Muhammad Umaru Ndagi — Board Member, North Central
2. Abba Jato Kala — Board Member, North East
3. Sheikh Muhammad Bin Othman — Board Member, North West
4. Tajudeen Oladejo Abefe — Board Member, South West
5. Aishat Obi Ahmed — Board Member, South East
6. Zainab Musa — Board Member, South South
7. Professor Musa Inuwa Fodio — Board Member/Representative Jama’atul Nasril Islam
8. Professor Adedimizi Mahfouz Adebola — Representative/Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs

Expressing their gratitude, the new Board Members acknowledged the Chairman’s fatherly role and welcomed his warm reception from the outset of their meeting. In their individual comments, the members, made assurances to support the Chairman in the quest for success. Similarly, they separately expressed their appreciation to the Almighty for the privilege to serve and prayed for guidance in their new assignments.

In his closing remarks, Dr Abdullahi Rabi’u Kontagora, the Secretary of the Commission, lauded the intellectual prowess of the new Board Members, describing them as a group with a good number of persons with diverse and advanced knowledge and experience as never witnessed in one single board of the Commission since inception. He described the 5th Board of NAHCON as a new chapter of the Commission with its blend of experts starting with its head, Malam Jalal Arabi, from whom he had learned a lot of administrative skills within a short while. Dr Kontagora expressed optimism that their skills and knowledge would be deployed in the service of Allah, the federal government of Nigeria, and commitment to the welfare of Nigerian pilgrims.