By Dr. Abdullahi Nayawo Abdu “When integrity meets greed, the fight is never about truth — it’s about who gets the cake.”
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
The year 2025, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has delivered the best-organized Hajj in recent history, yet a section of its own board has moved to petition for the removal of the commission’s Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman. At first glance, such dissent may seem like concern for governance. A closer look, however, reveals something far less noble: personal dissatisfaction masked as accountability, and greed dressed up as protest.
For ordinary pilgrims, 2025 Hajj has been a blessing. Departure and arrival of pilgrims on time, buses conveying pilgrims to all sacred places in Makkah and Madinah ran smoothly, accommodations were clean and comfortable, and meals were served with dignity. Relevant medical facilities were adequate too. The Hajj Savings Scheme functioned efficiently, giving countless Nigerians a real path to fulfilling their sacred obligation without undue stress. Across the country, people are speaking of reliability, fairness, and integrity — a stark contrast to past years marred by delays, misallocated slots, and favoritism.
Yet, despite these successes, noise and hate have surfaced from the very board tasked with oversight. Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, or Abdullahi Pakistan as many affectionately call him, faces calls for removal not for incompetence or mismanagement, but for refusing to hand out unnecessary Hajj slots and unjustifiable allocation of commission’s resources. A tradition of embezzlement and entitlement is being challenged, and those who expected easy access to the national treasury are enraged.
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” – C.S. Lewis
Instead of lighting the lantern, these dissenters or rather corrupt elements have chosen darkness. They accuse him of nothing except preventing personal enrichment at the, on the expense of ordinary Nigerians. Even official oversight bodies agree: the Senate Committee and a committee from the House of Representatives have given him full marks, declaring the 2025 Hajj the best in history. Transportation, accommodation, and pilgrim welfare were handled with precision. No delays. No confusion. Everything ran as planned.
Consider the lesson of a blind man once given a light. When asked why he held it, though he could not see, he replied: “Although I cannot see, what about those who can?” Prof. Pakistan has held the light for Nigerians, ensuring pilgrims see fairness and integrity, even as dissenters remain blinded by greed and selfishness.
For us Nigerians, the message is clear: we stand behind him. We pray Allah Almighty continues to guide him, protect him, and bless him with wisdom to pilot the affairs of this great commission. Ignore the hearsay, distractions, and attacks from those who seek personal gain over public service.
“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
This Hajj is proof that leadership can prioritize the people, not cronies. It is proof that integrity and courage can thrive even when challenged from within. Let us celebrate a leader who serves the many, not the few; who illuminates the path for ordinary Nigerians; and who shows that true service is not about access to national treasure, but about uplifting the lives of citizens.
Long live NAHCON! Long live Prof. Pakistan! Long live Nigeria!