President Bola Tinubu has sacked Jalal Arabi as the Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and appointed Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman as his replacement.
Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, on a Statement on Monday described Professor Usman is a renowned scholar with qualifications from the University of Madinah and Peshawar University, Pakistan.
He said the newly appointedexecutive Chairman of NAHCON also served as Chairman of the Kano State Pilgrims Board, overseeing the largest quota of state pilgrims in the country.
The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. President Tinubu expects the new Chairman to demonstrate integrity, transparency, and dedication to the nation.
Arabi’s removal is coming following a controversy surrounding the 2024 Hajj, for which the Federal Government allocated N90 billion in subsidies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested Arabi and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, over alleged fraud. An EFCC source revealed that Arabi had overpaid himself and other officials, with a total of 314,098 Saudi Riyals recovered from them.”