From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has commended the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigating the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over allegations of misappropriating ₦90 billion in Hajj subsidies.
The ICPC stated that some NAHCON officials were arrested on Wednesday for “refusing to honour an invitation” by the anti-graft agency.
“We are investigating officials of the National Hajj Commission because they either failed or refused to honour the invitation. We, therefore, paid them a friendly visit,” ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, was quoted as saying.
CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, expressed alarm at reports of widespread looting during this year’s Hajj. He stressed that many pilgrims received inadequate services despite significant government funding.
“We commend the ICPC’s efforts to expose this monumental fraud and urge them to ensure that corruption is rooted out of our public institutions,” he said.
Rafsanjani, who also heads Transparency International Nigeria (TI-Nigeria), pointed out that persistent fraud and institutional failures have significantly contributed to the country’s deepening poverty.
“The level of fraud and disregard for institutional integrity have plunged millions of Nigerians into abject poverty while a few individuals amass wealth at the expense of the general populace,” Rafsanjani noted.
He further noted that with over 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty, according to recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the diversion of public funds intended for citizens’ welfare has exacerbated the nation’s socio-economic challenges.
He urged the ICPC to root out corruption, highlighting Nigeria’s low ranking on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Rafsanjani condemned corrupt officials for exacerbating poverty among Nigerians and called for reforms to restore integrity in public institutions as the ICPC’s investigation continues.