By Ustaz Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad, Member, Board of Trustees, Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON)
A Visit to the Hajj House
On 23 July 2026, I was privileged to join a delegation from the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) — comprising members of the National Executive Council and of the Board of Trustees, of which I am a member — for an audience with His Excellency Ambassador Ismail Abba, Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), at his office in the Hajj House.
The visit was prompted, among other matters, by the circular issued by the Commission on 20 July 2026, in which licensed tour operators were invited to review their 'guidelines, processes and methods' in the Hajj and Umrah industry 'to align with current realities, consumer protection and qualitative service delivery'. Our principal object was to appeal for a reduction of the mandatory bank guarantee of N250 million to a more affordable level — while making clear that we shared the Commission's conviction that the threshold for entry into the Hajj industry must be raised.
The Chairman received us with patience and courtesy, and listened attentively to our concerns and suggestions. His response was reassuring. Calmly, yet with complete confidence, he set out his mission for the Commission, and I discerned in his bearing a sincerity, commitment and honesty unclouded by fear or uncertainty as to the destination to which he intends to lead both the Commission and the industry. His demeanour and authority recalled to me Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, the former Chairman of NAHCON, who did what was right without regard to the censure of any critic.
True to his word, the Chairman gave his assurance that he would examine the matters we had raised. On 3 August 2026, the Commission published a further circular announcing that, after careful consideration of our submission, the guarantee had been reduced from N250 million to N100 million — in keeping with its stated goal of 'absolute protection of Nigerian pilgrims, transparency in service delivery, and the elevation of professional standards across the industry'. For that, we owe His Excellency our sincere gratitude.
A Time for Unity
AHUON would do well to use this season — when the industry enjoys the stewardship of a leader of the current Chairman's calibre — to consolidate its position as a united and credible body, one that has survived many attempts to break its ranks, some of which are said to have emanated from within the Commission itself. It is a source of sadness to observe that there are those within our midst whose loyalty appears divided, and who are said to work in concert with the association's adversaries to undermine it from within. Such discord could hardly come at a worse moment, for Saudi Vision 2030 contemplates the concession of the entire Hajj operation to tour operators, commencing with a significant number in Hajj 2027. We must prove our worth in gold, and we cannot afford to falter through disunity, fragmentation or dissension.
Mediating the Choice of Service Provider
It was in this climate that I was called upon, in my personal capacity, to mediate between AHUON, represented by certain members of its National Executive Council (NEC), and the Hajj and Umrah Tour Operators of Nigeria (HUTON), represented by its President, Alhaji Awwal Muhammad A. Suleiman, concerning the selection of a Saudi service provider for Hajj 2027. The role was not unfamiliar to me: I had discharged the same function during the final selection for Hajj 2026, at the NAHCON office in Makkah.
We assembled at the AHUON office in the Hajj House on Thursday, 6 August 2026. The proceedings opened with remarks by Malam Ikrimah Muhammad, Deputy President (Hajj), which were frank, blunt and mature, delivered in an atmosphere of mutual respect. After AHUON's presentation, and before Alhaji Awwal had responded, I took the liberty of questioning the belated unveiling of the proposed new service provider — to the meeting, to HUTON, and to myself as the chosen arbiter. AHUON accepted the omission without demur and offered its apologies. We were informed that the principals of the new company selected by AHUON had travelled from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, had attended the association's Annual General Meeting in the Conference Hall of the Hajj House, and had there made their presentation. Had I held an executive position within AHUON, I would have invited HUTON to that occasion or arranged for the Saudi visitors to meet Alhaji Awwal and his team. Such a courtesy would have diminished the tension and secured the goodwill of all concerned.
Malam Haruna Isma'il, Vice President of AHUON and Chairman of the Kano Zone, then presented the case for Dur for Hajj and Umrah Services, circulating the company's documents to those present by WhatsApp. Alhaji Awwal responded that he acted at the behest of the companies he represents, and would therefore agree to nothing to which they did not assent. Their concern, he explained, was that no complaint had been lodged against the services of Rawaf Mina during Hajj 2026. If Rawaf had not failed, he asked, why the sudden change? Why not retain the same company for Hajj 2027? I acknowledged that, so far as the VIP Kidana building was concerned, Rawaf Mina had achieved more during the last Hajj than in Hajj 2025; I conceded, however, that there had been complaints regarding services in Tent D. AHUON members echoed similar reservations, lending weight to the case for a change of provider — the more so as, in the view of some, the earlier selection of Rawaf had been attended by undue interference and undisclosed interests on the part of certain personages within the Commission.
The discussion continued, warm at times, and, at length, Alhaji Awwal asked leave to consult his members via an online meeting. I granted it readily. He returned to announce that HUTON had rejected the proposed service provider.
I then advanced a proposal which, I must record, AHUON had the grace to accept. As a concession, I suggested that AHUON withdraw from the inspection of Dur for Hajj and Umrah Services, from the negotiation of rates, and from liaison with the company, and entrust these functions to HUTON. Let Alhaji Awwal assemble a team of HUTON officials to travel to Saudi Arabia, inspect Dur's facilities, inquire into the success of its past operations, negotiate the rates for the services to be rendered, and report back. AHUON, I proposed, should abide by the team's findings; even were it to conclude that Dur was unequal to our pilgrims' needs, AHUON must accept that verdict and set Dur aside in favour of a consensus candidate acceptable to both parties. Alhaji Awwal again sought permission to consult his members; he withdrew, and returned with the same answer: not acceptable.
That was disappointing. I had offered the proposal in the knowledge that it was a gamble — I had expected AHUON to refuse it; to their lasting credit, however, the members of the National Executive Council present accepted it unanimously. And when I placed the same proposal before Alhaji Awwal, I was confident that HUTON would accept it in turn. In that expectation I was mistaken.
A Man of Commitment
I should say plainly that I maintain the warmest relations with Alhaji Awwal, notwithstanding the different associations to which we belong. I was the first to reach out to him, more than a year ago, to caution him against division within the industry; he listened, and whenever I have cause to call upon him, he comes. Alhaji Awwal is a man of genuine commitment to serving tour operators. During the last Hajj, there were moments when no one was to be found — within the Commission, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, or the field — save Awwal himself. He stood for all of us. Such a man deserves recognition for what he does on our behalf, not disparagement of his person or his efforts. That is the principle on which I relate to Alhaji Awwal: not as an elder to a younger man, not as one who knows more, nor one whose experience is greater, but as a colleague who sees in him a considerable asset to this industry for years to come — whatever others may perceive in him as an instrument in the game of undermining AHUON. My own purpose is to ensure that those who play such games are defeated by their own devices.
A Letter That Came as a Surprise
Since the meeting had failed to persuade HUTON to accept AHUON's overtures, it was agreed that the outcome should be communicated to NAHCON, and that AHUON would amend its resolution concerning the service provider for Hajj 2027. The resulting letter, submitted to the Chairman's office on 7 August 2026, addressed two matters: the change of lead companies in the Abuja and Kano zones, and the choice of a new service provider for Hajj 2027.
The second of these — the change of lead companies — had formed no part of the discussion I chaired. It had been determined at the Abuja zonal meeting, which I did not attend. It is a zonal decision which I respect, though, to be candid, I do not share it; and I shall refrain from further comment upon it.
Then, out of the blue, a letter appeared on AHUON letterhead, dated 6 August 2026 and co-signed by the Presidents of both associations — Alhaji Awwal Muhammad A. Suleiman of HUTON and Alhaji Abdulateef Ekundayo of AHUON — declaring that the two associations had agreed to maintain the status quo ante: the lead companies would remain unchanged, and the service provider for Hajj 2027 would be Rawaf Mina. The letter stood in direct contradiction to the earlier correspondence that had followed the meeting I chaired.
I had foreseen something of the kind, though not to this extent. During the meeting, Alhaji Awwal had taken a telephone call. I was curious, and asked with whom he had been speaking. 'With Alhaji Abdulateef Ekundayo, the AHUON President,' he replied, in a tone that carried a world of meaning. From that moment, I knew that the purpose of the meeting had been defeated.
Our President, Alhaji Ekundayo — whom may Allah protect and grant good health — had, before travelling abroad for medical reasons, formally and constitutionally entrusted his powers to the Deputy President (Hajj), Malam Ikrimah Muhammad, who has discharged that office with effect. At a critical moment such as this, when a deadlock over the choice of service provider was to be resolved, one might have expected the President to consult the Deputy who stood in his place. Instead, he telephoned the President of HUTON. I confess I was taken aback; I had looked for conscientiousness, maturity and fidelity to the constitution of AHUON.
The Association's Response
I do not propose to dwell upon the matter at length, for an emergency meeting was held between the National Executive Council (NEC) of AHUON and the Board of Trustees (BoT) just yesterday, 10 August, 2026 at which it was unanimously agreed that the President had acted unilaterally, without the assent of the NEC; that the position set out in the letter co-signed with the President of HUTON was null and void, and without legal efficacy whatsoever; and that the position expressed in our earlier correspondence to the Chairman of NAHCON stands: namely, that the lead companies in the Abuja and Kano zones be changed, and that the service provider for Hajj 2027 be Dur for Hajj and Umrah Services.
