NAHCON defends and proposes budget – Special Report
By Fatima Sanda Usara
Budgetary proposals and defences need no introduction. It is a ritual that administrations the world over conduct for the sake of checks and balances on government expenditure. Certain institutions are mandated to oversee distribution of government’s wealth for the sake of correctness, accountability and transparency, and such institutions are the ones delegated to scrutinize previous budgets before new ones are approved. In Nigeria, an institution overseeing budget defences and proposals is the National Assembly.
NAHCON defended its 2018 budget and proposed its 2019 spending first on 2nd of April 2019. It began its presentation before Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs that oversees matters of all agencies under Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF. On 4th of the same month it made its submission before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, followed by another presentation to the House Committee also on Foreign Affairs still the same day.
The multifarious paternity cum multifaceted function of NAHCON puts it in a circumference where it is linked to more than one agency of government. Firstly, NAHCON’s establishment Act places it under the supervision of the presidency, reason why it is answerable to office of the OSGF. Secondly, by virtue of its duties outside the shores of the country, its role is that of tacit diplomacy, a lineage that links it to foreign affairs. And indeed it is a public institution that partners with other sister agencies in discharging its responsibilities.
Hence, Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu representing Oyo Central, explained at the commencement of the budget defence that offices of the SGF and that of the Senate president resolved that the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has authority for oversight functions over the Muslim and Christian pilgrims’ Commissions.
NAHCON’s Chairman, Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, has proven that he is worth his salt while facing all the Budget Defence panels. This is more so bearing in mind that Hajj Management is an industry where he has cut a niche for himself from a long time ago. He is not one known to shy away from contentious issues, thus, he makes ethical probity the Launchpad of his managerial acumen. It was thus of little surprise how he brazenly responded to every inquisition thrown his path with simple rapidity.
True, in most budget presentations witnessed in Nigerian history, combined pathologies conspire to create thick walls of ambiguity over where government expenditure would be sunk. This custom is however alien to the Commissions budgetary principles. This much was the submission of almost all the Honourable members that probed NAHCON’s presentation.
For instance, Hon. Nnenna Eledu-Ukeje, Chairperson, House Committee on Foreign Affairs commended NAHCON’s budget affirming that through the years, NAHCON’s budget has always been unproblematic and that she had enjoyed working with the Commission in the past years. And even this year, it had been the most straightforward andunambiguous she had seen thus far. She added that budgets like NAHCON’s make their task easy; there were no unexplained expenditure. Indeed, that budgets like that of the Commission keeps hope alive on government’s push on transparency.
Senator Monsurat appreciated the briefness and clarity of NAHCON’s budget and prayed Almighty to keep guiding the leadership. She asked which grounds NAHCON would want the Committee to be of assistance to the Commission. Senator Shehu Sani’s observation pictured the kind of hardships Nigerians used to undergo during Hajj which have now been confined among unpleasant memories. He praised the Commission’s boss for this accomplishment.
Also in his closing remarks after the budget presentation, Chairman of Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator Danjuma La’ah, Kaduna-South described NAHCON’s budget as fair and wondered if it will be enough to run the Commission. He was especially concerned with staff training and capacity building.
Outside fiscal policy, the committees sought various explanations pertaining NAHCON’s plans in addressing certain observed anomalies in conduct of Nigerian pilgrims or Hajj operators. On the issue of drug trafficking for instance, the NAHCON Chief declared that most of the trafficking occur not during Hajj yet, the Commission makes it a point of reference in its enlightenment programs to pilgrims not to indulge in even kola nut trafficking due to its drug status in the Saudi Kingdom. In addition, NAHCON has always been involved in inter-agency and inter-government collaboration in its effort to tackle this menace. The Commission is in collaboration with National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Office of the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters as well as other related agencies in order to make sure the respective breaches are not given a chance to occur without being detected.
In addition, the Commission hammers on the danger of pilgrims assisting unknown individuals with their luggage handling or leaving their own luggage under the custody of unknown persons who could be drug couriers. He also informed the congregations that NAHCON has staff on ground at departure centres, Hajj camps that monitor activities and report to the management for quick action.
To counter human trafficking, NAHCON introduced guarantor form where the person standing as such is held responsible if the pilgrim fails to return. A certain fine is placed on both the guarantor and travel agency until the person is found and brought back into the country. This is in addition to other punitive measures. And this has helped in reducing the number of absconders during Hajj.
On accusation that many Licenced Tour Operators breach their bond to their customers after transporting them for Hajj or Umrah, the Commission’s paramount head explained that it is exactly for this reason that the commission places advertisements in newspapers welcoming complaints. NAHCON releases hotlines during Hajj and Umrah so that the pilgrims will reach out for the Commission to take action on defaulters.
Indeed, after thanking members for their kind words and observations, NAHCON Chairman solicited support for Hajj fares to be paid at a concessionary dollar rate since all payments are now made electronically for the benefit of pilgrims. The concession, he opined, will bring down the Hajj fare drastically. He also sought assistance for the quick release of budgetary allocation to the Commission in order to fast track Hajj 2019 preparations.
For the record, NAHCON receives government allocation for office running just like any other agency of government. No funds are allocated for pilgrimage or for the Commission’s functions outside the country. All developmental expenditures are sourced by NAHCON itself.
*Usara is a staff of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
