…As NAHCON refutes allegations
The Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON), has called on National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to address issues rather than passing judgement on who performs Hajj 2025 and who will not perform.
The President, AHUON, Abdullateef Ekundayo Yusuf stated this at a press conference on Monday noting that several funds belonging to AHUON is trapped with NAHCON and CBN without disbursement to the operators who the funds released by Saudi authorities since December 2023.
According Yusuf, NAHCON is owing AHUON members over N15 Billion. As it was the practice of the Saudi government after each Hajj operation to refund money to Countries on three grounds, namely: for services paid by pilgrims but not rendered; services paid for but poorly rendered to the agreed standard, number; and tent security deposits.
“Our members are owed all these categories of money from 2022 Hajj to date by the commission. They confirmed in our meeting with them that they have received the sum of 20,000,000.SR (Twenty Million Saudi Riyals) of such refund from the Saudi authority since December last year, but they are yet to formally notify us talk less of agreeing on the modalities of the refund payment.
“Even this 20,000,000.00.SR if not for the investigation EFCC conducted on the Commission, we wouldn’t have known that it has been paid since December, 2023, we only got to know through media reports, before they now confirmed to us at our last meeting. What stopped them from calling the Tour Operators since December 2023 to come forward to claim their money? They kept quiet.
“Last Hajj operation NAHCON has received and warehoused over N2.7 Billion as caution deposit from our members. By our agreement with the Commission, the funds was to be released two weeks after the conclusion of the Hajj. NAHCON has refuse to refund any of the companies that applied for it, instead they are asking for more money as increase to the last year’s deposit,” he said.
He also said,”From the year 2004 to date the Commission has attested to have held our members funds through several engagements example unused visa, excess payments, Umrah deposit etc., and have not shown any sign of refunding such funds. In fact, our agreement with the Commission to publish the list of the companies under this category since last year have not been met. It is worth noting that many of our members have passed on waiting for these refunds.
” In addition, to the above, for many years now some of our members have millions of Saudi Riyals balances in their Saudi accounts (IBAN), which they can’t access. For over three years now we have engaged the Commission to facilitate the release of those funds to our members, but it refuses to do anything about the issue.”
The AHUON therefore request the Commission to accept Bank guarantee which their Acts permits, in place of cash deposit considering the perennial challenges they have been facing with refund.
“It is worth noting that our members receive nothing as income from the amount we deposit annually. In fact, during the last Hajj our members paid CBN and NAHCON over N700million as 2% CBN charges. Our question is why the CBN will warehouse our money of over N2.7billion for 1 year without paying accrued interest on it, and same CBN charges us 2% on the transfers made on our operational fund.
“Nigerians should remember that the Federal government approved and released the sum of N90billion as subsidy to Nigerians pilgrims last year and the Commission refuses to include our pilgrims in that distribution and is yet to provide answers to the share of our pilgrims. We all know that state pilgrims receive various palliative from their governors, yet the Commission claimed to have supported them. Are tour operators’ Pilgrims not Nigerians.
“Another important issue is that NAHCON has continually took from our 20,000 slots and issue same to other Government Agencies which end up disrupting our programme especially the Tent A (VIP tent) services in Muna and Arafat,” said AHUON President.
The acting chairman of NAHCON, who also doubles as the commissioner policy personnel management and finance, Mallam Aliyu Abdukrazak while speaking on the the issue of refunds, noted that the AHUON are private operators which are under the regulation of government, vis-à -vis NAHCON, and an umbrella body which the other private operators equally participate in this Hajj business.
” I can tell you without doubt, that I have received more than 50 applications from AHUON asking for refunds of their deposits, while others are asking for a rollover.
” For those asking for refunds, we are making a refund to them, and it is strange to know that these refunds cannot go out, until we are very, very sure that the purpose for this refund is yet to be defeated. What is the purpose? The purpose is, if there is any complaint against any of the operators by anybody or persons that engage their services to go to Hajj, if there is no complaint against them, that their services they deliver to them they are not satisfied, there are shortcomings, there are infractions, until when it is clear that there is no such complaint, then their refund can be released to them.”
He further said the 20milliom Saudi Riyals mentioned , was accumulated over time and the year that Saudi is making refund for cannot be ascertained. So we cannot assume the money is for just two operators.
He stressed that NAHCON is going to wait for Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in Saudi itemise those the funds belong to, adding that once that is done, they will start getting their block of funds.
” The states are also laying claims to the same fund, that is for the pilgrims.The two operators, the are also laying claims
Until we have a clarification, whom these fund belongs to, then we can release the funds to all of them.”
