Nigeria Newspapers Online

The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh, has said the 2025 Hajj will be hitch-free.

He stated this while responding to a story which claimed that the “thousands of Nigerian intending pilgrims may be unable to perform the 2025 Hajj due to the cancellation of the Masha’ir contract by the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman”.

Abdullahi Saleh dismissed the story as a blatant lie, saying that no pilgrim will miss 2025 Hajj as the commission has taken measures to ensure that the exercise is executed accordingly.

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He said the story was intended to tarnish his hard-earned image as an Islamic scholar and a proven administrator.

He said, “The contract of the two companies was cancelled by the Saudi authorities themselves. They were reinstated again and they cancelled the contract once more.

“This is the reason I hurriedly travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet with the authorities concerned. A meeting was scheduled yesterday (Sunday) but it could not hold for some reason and it’s shifted to today.

“We want to know why the contract was canceled. On our part the NAHCON did not cancel their contract. We want this disagreement between the companies and the Saudi authority to not affect NAHCON’s arrangement. This is the reason I am meeting with them today. We want them to tell us what is going on.

“If they want to renew the contract, let them do it once and for all. If they want to substitute them, this should be made clear. This would be done instantly to avoid hitches.”

He said the arrangements NAHCON made were intact, adding, “Our pilgrims will be glad with the arrangements we put in place. They will commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for entrusting us with this post. We are working unrelentingly to execute this project.”