The Commissioner for Policy, Personnel and Finance at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Aliyu Abdulrazaq has dismissed claims that of favouring staff from the South-South region in the selection process for the 2025 Hajj operation.
A report had claimed that NAHCON is currently facing allegations of racketeering and shady practices in its selection process of ad hoc staff for the 2025 Hajj.
It was alleged that situation occurred shortly after the Chairman/CEO of NAHCON, Professor Saleh Usman, inaugurated the Principal Officers of the National Medical Team (NMT) and its Steering Committee for the upcoming 2025 Hajj.
The report alleged that ethnic and sectional considerations were at play when selecting officials for the Hajj.
Abdulrazak was alleged to be among NAHCON’s top officials enlisting staff from his geopolitical zone of the South-South.
Responding to the claims however, Edo State-born Abdulrazaq refuted the allegations, describing them as baseless.
The commissioner clarified that the NAHCON’s workforce, which totals 420 staff members, includes fewer than 10 staff from the South-South, representing less than one per cent of the total personnel.
He maintained that he has remained mostly transparent in the selection process.
“The entire workforce of the National Hajj commission is 420 and the South-South has less than 10 in the entire country. There is a need for federal character balancing.
“The percentage of staff from South-South in the Commission is not up to ten percent of the total workforce. The Commissioner PPMF remains the most transparent”, he said.