The purchase and takeover of Metro Plaza by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) will streamline the activities of the hajj regulating agency and enhance hajj operations in the country, Independent Hajj Reporters has said.
“By raising N2.4 billion from service charges and commission to purchase the palatial Metro Plaza, Abuja; brought to the fore the high level of financial discipline and corporate governance of the NAHCON leadership,” a statement by civil society’s national coordinator Ibrahim Muhammed and publicity secretary Abubakar Mahmoud, said on Wednesday.
NAHCON has been operating from a rented office accommodation in Abuja since its establishment by the Act of Parliament in 2006, until this year when its leadership under Barrister Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammed purchased the plaza from Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).
The organization said the new headquarters “will create a conducive atmosphere for the staff of the commission, reduce the money spent by the commission in renting events halls for meetings, seminars, and conferences, as well as serve as a revenue source for the commission.”
Independent Hajj Reporters said it hoped that this achievement will herald steady and gradual detachment of hajj exercise from the government in terms of financial support.
“It is with joy and sense of fulfillment that we rejoice with the Nigeria Muslims Ummah over the purchase of a befitting office complex that will serve as the headquarters of Hajj and Umrah activities in the country.
“This achievement has demonstrated the capability and ability of Nigerian Muslim Ummah to conduct its religious affairs without financial intervention from government,” he said.
The civil society however charged States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards (SMPWBs) and other Muslim bodies to strive for financial independence in fulfilling their religious obligations.
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