The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has been accused by the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) of being unwilling to return the money that its members had spent towards the execution of the pilgrimage in the previous years.
This was contained in a statement issued by AHUON President, Abdul Lateef Ekundayo, on Friday in Abuja.
The group, therefore, directed all its members to stop all their activities towards the preparation for the 2025 hajj exercise, NAN reports.
Ekundayo explained that the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) met with the members of its Board of Trustees and agreed that the action was necessary.
The statement reads: ” It is with a deep sense of responsibility that we write to issue this directive that all actions with respect to the Hajj 2025 preparation be suspended until further notice.
Members who have made payment for Hajj 2025 should not submit it until a counter directive is given.
“Members that have collected the form, submitted it, and made payment should send the name of their company to the zonal Vice President.
“This will ensure that all our requests before NAHCON are duly met, especially our accumulated refunds over the years.”
This issue of payment of AHUON fund was one of the many controversies that raised questions regarding transparency in the management of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is also presently investigating the N90billion subsidy earmarked for the 2024 pilgrimage exercise by President Bola Tinubu.
The anti-graft agency had uncovered how the money was mismanaged and stolen by the leaders of the commission.