Hajj Reporters
The Director of FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Muhammad Nasiru DanMallam has inaugurated a committee to transparently select Hajj 2022 intending pilgrims from the seats allocated to the board by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).
Alhaji DanMallam inaugurated the nine member committee in his office in Abuja on Wednesday.
The committee is headed by the Director Finance and Account, Bawa Mohammed Baba.
The Director said he decided to set up the committee to select from depositors from 2019 to 2020 because the number of depositors is higher than the number of seats available to the board.
Recall that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has instructed that 40% of depositors should be picked from among those who made deposits to various boards while the remaining 60% should be selected from among Hajj Saving Scheme participants.
“Presently we have 1,400 pilgrims who have already met the N2.5 Million naira Benchmark as at Friday 13th May that we had earlier announced, so while on the other hand we have only 614 seats for people who have made N2.5 million with deposit at the board out of 1400.
“So you now see that it is very difficult to now pick out 614 seats out of 1400,” he said.
The Director said it is in order to guarantee fairness and transparency that the board has decided “to put a committee in place to sit down and look at all the depositors from 2019, 2020 and 2021 till date”.
He said the committee is expected to look at the date each deposit is made in sequential order and then “match with those that have been able to meet the N2.5 Million naira benchmark as at 13th May”.
“Those who registered in 2019 and were able to meet the N2.5 Million naira as at 13th May then he/she becomes the number 1 and continue that way,” he said.
Alhaji DanMallam said the committee members were carefully selected based on their track record of honesty, transparency and commitment to duty.
“We hold you in high esteem and I beseech you to please fear Allah. The people we are dealing with are the guests of Allah (SWT). I beseech you to fear Allah as you carry out this assignment,” he said.
In a short response, the chairman of the committee, Alhaji Baba promised that they will carry out their task diligently and with the fear of God as admonished.
Other members of the committee are Mallam Sunusi Rayyan, Muhammad Musa Abubakar, Muhammad Lawal Aliyu, Na’Allah Ado, Habiba Ladidi Isah, Hafsat Ahmed, Rayyanu Abubakar and Fa’iz Ahmed, who will serve as the secretary.
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Among the terms of reference of the committee are to determine the number of intending pilgrims who made deposits to the board from 2019 to date; determine the total number of intending pilgrims who have met the N2.5 million benchmark on or before Friday 13th May, 2022; shortlist intending pilgrims who have met the benchmark of N2.5m on first come first serve basis from 2019 to date; determine the number of intending pilgrims who have met the N2.5m benchmark on the Hajj Saving Scheme, (HSS); reconcile the number intending pilgrims who have made the deposits at the board with those who deposited on the HSS; declare the number of seats that remain from both the 40% and 60% allocation to the board and HSS respectively and to also make recommendations on the way forward for Hajj 2022 exercise.
The committee was given five days to submit its report.
