Shettima summons Hajj commission boss, board members

Vice President Kashim Shettima has summoned the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, along with board members of the commission, for a crucial meeting on the state of preparations for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.

According to an invitation letter obtained by this newspaper, the meeting is scheduled to take place today at the Vice President’s Conference Room.

The letter, signed by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), stated that the session is aimed at updating the Vice President on the commission’s plans and addressing lingering issues.

The invitation read, “I have been directed to instruct you to attend a meeting with the Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima GCON on Tuesday 22nd April 2025 at the Vice President’s Conference Room at 1.30pm along with all other board members of the National Hajj Commission.”

“Please ensure that you notify the other board members accordingly and come along with a short brief on preparedness for the 2025 hajj operation and any outstanding issues in that regard.”

It could be recalled that the chairman and the non-executive board members of the commission have been having issues on lack of inclusion in some decisions made by the chairman for the preparation of the 2025 Hajj.

This culminated into a petition to the Vice President who warned the chairman to stop running the affairs of the commission as a sole administrator.

However, the chairman has denied the allegations levelled against him by the board members.