The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to be self-reliant by trying to keep away from government funding.
The Sultan, who gave the charge when he paid a courtesy visit to the commission in Abuja, said pilgrims pay lots of money that will make it possible.
He said he introduced Hajj levy some years ago to enable the commission raise money and with the number of pilgrims going to Hajj every year the commission will be able to achieve a lot.
“I have said it several times to the Federal Government and to the President then, Goodluck Jonathan, on two to three occasions that we submitted Annual Hajj reports to him.
“I told him that we want the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to work with us so that we take Federal Government off from Hajj issues like is done in other countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and others,” he said.
The Sultan of Sokoto, also laid a foundation for the construction of a Juma’at mosque on the premises of the Commission.
In his welcome address, the NAHCON Chairman, Alhaji Zikirullah Kunle Hassan said the commission had device a lot of means of generating revenue internally by revamping some of its assets
We have resolved to intensify drive for Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through the facilitation of Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission, ICRC, for Public Private Partnership (PPP) to develop some of our Hajj Camps and its landed properties so that they become busy throughout the year instead of only during Hajj periods.
Alhaji Hassan also disclosed that the commission had begun the process of transforming its activities from manual to digital which is targeted to enhance operational efficiency following the Saudi Arabian Digitalisation of Hajj processes.
We have begun the process of transforming NAHCON’s activities from manual to digital. In the light of this, the Commission’s Digital Economy Center is almost completed and will be commissioned soon.
The NAHCON chairman said the introduction of Hajj Savings Scheme was a blueprint designed to improve Hajj administration and management in Nigeria.
Hajj Saving Scheme, HSS, was first launched in the North-West in Kano on 4thof October 2020; followed by Lagos state for the South-West; Edo state for the South-South and Ebonyi state for the South-East. God willing, on 25thMarch 2021, the North –East launching will be held in Bauchi. Monies deposited under the HSS will be invested in shari’a compliant ventures with profits credited to the depositor according to Islamic formula of profit sharing. Hajj Savings Scheme is being run in partnership with Ja’iz Bank. Similarly, sensitization campaign on the scheme have already been conducted so far in the following states: Adamawa, Kogi, Kaduna, Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Taraba, Katsina and Jigawa states. We have decided to make Sokoto State venue for the grand finale of the launching at a date to be announced later.
Hajj Savings Scheme is a voluntary contributory payment scheme for prospective Muslims wishing to undertake pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Dominica Nwabufo
