In the opening thread of this piece, I vowed to resume where I paused, tracing the thread of a narrative braided with contention and candour. The “manifest untruth” uttered by Mr Elegushi, the Honourable Commissioner of Operations, in his interview with the Independent Hajj Reporters on the selection of Saudi service providers for Hajj 2026—this thread of friction surrounding NAHCON’s stance that private operators may not freely determine their partners—unfolds anew. AHOUN’s earnest quest in Saudi Arabia, the evaluation of Ar-Rifaadah and Ikraamud Daif, the eventual preference for Ar-Rifaadah grounded in timing and experience, these notes remain. Across Abuja, Kano, and Lagos, I observed the resonance among 110 AHUON members and the strain that surfaces when leadership’s process comes under scrutiny.
I attended two Zoom gatherings where initial discussions centred on lead companies and the continuation of prior arrangements. At the same time, operator sentiment—leaning toward Ikraamud Daif or Mashaariq—remained in the margins. The contention—misrepresentation, a shift toward a neutral, driverless selection, NAHCON seeking to cast decision-making in a new light—was stated with the insistence that governance and accountability can no longer be left in the shadows. I reflected on correspondence handling at the Commission and the marginalisation of the Chairman’s office, the tensions around governance, and the implications for accountability.
I addressed Ithraa Aljoud and the supposed NASS directive, arguing that no such instruction was issued, and I clarified distinctions between Ithraa Aljoud and Ithraa Al-Khair. And now I invite you to follow me as I resume, to illuminate what lies deeper in shadow, and to unfold the second instalment with care and candour.
A Question of Blacklists and Contracts
Prince Anofiu Elugushi stated that NASS had blacklisted Ithraa Aljoud during the public hearing on October 21, 2024. One cannot help but question why he pleaded with the Chairman to sign the AHUON service contract with the same company a year later, in 2025. What game is at play here? Did NASS truly blacklist Ithraa Aljoud, or is it convenient to raise the blacklisting card again in 2026 as a means to an end? The Honourable Commission of Operations “pleaded with the Chairman to sign” the AHUON contract with Ithraa Aljoud in 2025, but in 2026, the memory returns to 2024. Wonderful indeed.
A Plea to Nurture Truth and Dignity
The promoters of Ithraa Aljoud in Saudi Arabia should employ every available means—diplomatic and legal—to nip this calumny in the bud. The National Assembly, too, would do well to clear the air and to insist upon accountability; imputing falsehood and attributing it to the Honourable Members of the House of Representatives desecrates their hallowed Chambers!
Manufactured Associations
Still on the Independent Hajj Reporters interview, the other association, Mr Elegushi alluded to, appears as an image of their own manufacture, a pawn in the hands of elements within the Commission in the politics of divide-and-conquer. This body is virtually unknown within the Hajj and Umrah industry, yet its creators strive to grant it relevance and to equate it with AHUON, which is older than NAHCON itself. You read me correctly: AHUON activities began in 2005, and it participated in the debate on the Act to establish NAHCON in the National Assembly. Bureaucratic inertia delayed AHUON’s incorporation by CAC until June 14, 2007.
A Twin Birth of Metaphor and Memory
This evident move to sow dissension among AHUON members traces back to a prophecy of twins—the birth announced by Prince Anofiu as the times shifted. Taiye, personified by the new entrant, the first, as one twin; Kehinde, the second, perhaps not yet born or perhaps already present. I will return to this thread as it unfolds.
Silence as Strategy, and a Qur’anic Echo
During the two Zoom meetings, I chose silence, as did many attendees who understood what was being staged. The unwritten agenda was to dull resolve and set us at one another. The strategy—speaking at random—evoked a memory from the Qur’an. The Makkan Mushriks could not dispute the divine message Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, bore; thus, they whispered to create commotion, to gain the upper hand. The Qur’an says:
The Unbelievers say: "Listen not to this Qur'an, but talk at random in the midst of its (reading), that ye may gain the upper hand!” (Fussilat 41:26).
The Zoom meetings became a living parable of meetings-after-meetings, a theatre where most commentators rehearsed the end of fellow travellers in the scheme. At each opening, a roll call confirmed that actors were present to play their parts. Even Nollywood could learn from NAHCON’s staging. Those chosen at random uttered murmurs, overawed since they were not part of the plan; their positions were buried beneath more random talk. Mr Elegushi proved an effective captain, mooring the ship with the right anchor, ensuring smooth passage to the intended destination. Or am I speaking in allegory?
The Cautionary Note on Tribal Politics
A disquieting observation: the intrusion of tribal politics into an industry that stands as a pillar of a faith that opposes preference by colour, tribe, region, or nationality. If all engines of corruption and perceived ineptitude have failed to destabilise the Commission, tribalism may yet do so, and the torrent will engulf us all.
All the names Mr Elegushi calls at the start of each meeting belong to his ethnic group. Deep into the proceedings, the chorus against AHUON largely comes from his tribe. To paint the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria with a tribal brush is dangerous. The sooner we address this, the better, to avert a bottomless pit of national division over the Hajj industry.
A Personal Note and a Call to Integrity
I am not blind to the implications of these statements. Everyone who attended these meetings can attest to the observations above. The foot soldiers of disunity among private tour operators seem to come from one section of the country, even as a solitary leader of one of the twins—in Mr Elegushi’s prophecy—hails from the Kano Zone. A physical gathering, where we can see who says what, would test this claim. Ninety per cent of AHUON’s fiercest opponents are from Mr Elegushi’s ethnic group. Are they all part of the cast in the orchestrated circus of the Zoom meetings?
This is a sad narration to tell; otherwise, I would have kept silent as I did during the two Zoom dramas I critiqued. I hold to the belief that there is good in all people, including those who are not Muslims. I am engaged in interfaith dialogue and in promoting mutual respect and religious understanding between Muslims and Christians. There is no hierarchy of tribes here, save for the measure of piety. In my company, Hajj is the business at hand, and we have employed Christians among us. Our managers were, at one time, entirely from Mr Elegushi’s ethnic group. The current General Manager, Finance and Operations, speaks the same language as Mr Elegushi. The people I hold in the most profound respect in the Commission and among my colleagues in the industry are from Mr Elegushi’s tribe.
We had Ustaz Zikrullah Kunle Hassan as the Commission's Chairman. He spared no effort to unite our members. No issue was presented to Ustaz Zikrullah to address, but he did his best to actualise and solve it. He did everything to work with all of us as brethren and to bring harmony and togetherness among us. Yet Mr Elegushi declares an intention to set us asunder.
A Concluding Note on the Second Online Meeting
In the same IHR interview, Mr Elegushi said the Commission had chosen “Bushra Hospitality Co,” and added, “after consultations with the general body of licensed operators.” This article has established that there were no such consultations. It was, in truth, NAHCON's business-as-usual imposition of service providers on private tour operators.
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