The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has lauded the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for launching an investigation into the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) over allegations of misappropriating N90 billion in Hajj subsidies.
In a statement, CISLAC’s Executive Director, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, expressed deep concern over the reported large-scale looting during the recent Hajj exercise. Despite significant payments and federal government subsidies, many pilgrims reportedly received inadequate services, prompting questions about the management of funds by NAHCON.
“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,” Rafsanjani stated.
The investigation is particularly significant in light of Nigeria’s ongoing battle with corruption, as highlighted by the country’s low ranking of 150 out of 180 on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International. Rafsanjani, who also leads Transparency International Nigeria (TI-Nigeria), emphasized that persistent fraud and institutional failures have exacerbated Nigeria’s deepening poverty crisis, with over 133 million citizens living in multidimensional poverty according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
“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 said.
He condemned the actions of corrupt public officials, attributing the nation’s socio-economic challenges to their misdeeds and calling for a collective effort to restore trust, integrity, and dignity to Nigeria’s public institutions.
As the ICPC’s investigation progresses, CISLAC and other civil society organizations hope that this case will mark a significant step forward in Nigeria’s fight against corruption, ensuring accountability and justice for the millions of citizens affected by corrupt practices.