A poet stated:
ومامن كاتب إلا سيفنى ويبقى الدهر ماكتبت يداه
فلاتكتب بكفك غير شيء يسرك في القيامة أن تراه
Yes, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman Pakistan, has resigned. However, whether the resignation was voluntarily tendered, or forced, is immaterial here.
But what remains as an indisputable fact, take it or leave it, is that no one in Nigeria today would oversee the Hajj Industry without painfully getting his fair share of campaign of calumny against his person, within and without the Industry. And certainly, this calls for concern.
Within just two years NAHCON is going to have a change of guard three times!!!
Shall we continue this way!?
For commentators on the subject matter, the above poetic Arabic opener should be the guiding principle in all discussions. Everyone is entitled to his opinion, but we shouldn’t forget that we shall surely account for all we said, or wrote before Allah on the day of judgment.
It is quite unfortunate that, some persons are of the opinion that Shaykh Pakistan was the wrong person for the job because he was deficient in administrative, experience, and managerial skills. And that modern Hajj operations need less of Arabic fluency in writing and in speech. This is to me a baseless argument. Malam Abdullahi Mukhtar, Zikrullah, and Jalal Arabi were they preachers who were fluent in Arabic ? Were they also inept and deficient in administrative, experience and managerial know how ? But were they spared of the crises that are today used by some so-called Hajj commentators to say were Shaykh Pakistan’s waterloo for being inexperienced, lacked administrative knowhow and or managerial skills ? All the former three Chairmen were accused of abuse of power, breach of protocol, corruption, anti-graft agencies unprofessional dealing with corruption allegations and above all they all had to contend with gluttonous politicians interference.
If we’re sincere, the bane of hajj operations in Nigeria is the devilish desires for mundane material gains that are grounded in the minds of most of those who are supposed to be checks and balances on the Hajj Industry for the good and comfort of Nigerian pilgrims.
Alas, they the problems themselves. By the way what would one say of a Commissioner who believes he’s on NAHCON board to get enough money to oil his political machinery at home ? Or a onetime Commissioner who allowed a state pilgrims board to rent an unbefitting house in Makkah for pilgrims, illogically opining that most of the pilgrims coming from the state were from rural areas, as if they paid less than what the urban pilgrims paid ? Or a highly placed political appointee who vowed to a lawmaker that they would sabotage the Hajj operations because their interest was been tempered with ? All three examples I have given here affected three Chairmen of NAHCON who were unexpectedly and unceremoniously disengaged!
So, of course yes, experience, administrative and managerial skills are necessary, but still in Nigeria they are totally insignificant in the success, or otherwise of hajj operations in our country.
The other time I was discussing with a respected brother on the crises in NAHCON, he opined that the only way to ensure diligence in the affairs of NAHCON, is to appoint for it a no nonsense sole administrator, for a specified time frame, to put the Commission on a sound footing before constituting a new Board.
In the past the Hajj Industry had a sole administrator, if my thinking did not fail me, I think, General Ahmad Daku, today here we are again, and infact worse than what obtained then.
I feel pained to say, I probably might not witness, in my lifetime, a peaceful; diligent NAHCON that would oversee Hajj affairs in Nigeria to the satisfaction of all and devoid of shortchanging pilgrims to line the pockets of some corrupt politicians and government officials.
In conclusion, I’m of the opinion that no matter how astute and competent the Chairman, or sole administrator, of the Commission would be, administratively, experienced and sound managerial acumen, we would still end up in this same quagmire, unless those within the Industry and those without, including government officials, lawmakers and all stakeholders in Nigeria and Saudi resolved to put our interest aside. Yes, it’s a tall order, but certainly not impossible.