AHUON: Navigating To The Next Level

I postponed my rebuttal on “WHY WAS THE PROPHET NOT ALLOWED TO WRITE HIS WILL?”  to another week in order to write on the third Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON), which took place on Tuesday, May 13th, 2014 at the Main Auditorium of the National Mosque, Abuja.
The AGM, with today’s caption as its theme, charted a new course for AHUON, and provided it with new set of leaders in an electoral process devoid of chaos and rancour.
In his welcome address, the outgoing President of AHUON, Alhaji Nasir Mohammed Sala Koko, urged members to call to mind what obtained in the past concerning Hajj and Umrah operations, and compare it with we have today, to appreciate the tremendous achievements garnered during the period of his stewardship. He prayed for the continuation of the cooperation and support of NAHCON and the Saudi Arabian Hajj authorities in ensuring better services to pilgrims.
Alhaji Nasiru also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to address inflation ‘and stabilize’ the ‘exchange rate of Naira to dollar’ so that we can enjoy stable Hajj rates. In other countries, he said, pilgrims pay the same amount of money for five years running due to the stability of their currencies. Fluctuating Hajj rate, according to him, is giving Hajj operators a bad name, and denting their image.
On Hajj seat allocation to tour operators, Alhaji Nasiru, the outgoing President has this advice for NAHCON: ‘…competent, experienced and tested hajj operators are not getting enough allocations. When those with capacity, quality service delivery and genuine interest in the business are not patronized, then the future of hajj operation in Nigeria is best imagined. I hereby humbly request for upward review of hajj allocation by adopting 70:30% ratio between the public and private sector.’
The Special Guest of Honour, Alhaji Muhammad Musa Bello, Chairman/CEO of NAHCON dwelt on the cordial relation he enjoyed with AHUON under the leadership of Alhaji Nasiru Sala Koko. ‘I recall’ Said the Chairman, ‘how some five of you started this association many years ago, at a very great financial, psychological cost. Pioneering, you will agree with me, is a very difficult exercise.’ He then advised Alhaji Nasiru not to assume the energy and expense expended in forming AHUON as loss. ‘It is from today that you will start to rip the benefit’ of your collective exertions. ‘I am saying this,’ continued the Chairman, ‘because I knew what it was, and know what it is now’.
NAHCON Chairman was alluding to the pioneering effort of Alhaji Jelili Animashaun of Al-Hujjaj International Services, Hajiya Fadilat Isa Mohammed of Finest Travels and Tours, Alhaji Nasir Sala Koko of Nazia Air Services and Dr Abdul Waasi Gabadeen. These four together with late Dr Abdul Lateef Adegbite, who was the Chairman, Board of Trustees, initiated what we see today of ‘private sector involvement in the management of Hajj and Umrah operations in Nigeria’.
The Guest Speaker and Honourable Commissioner of Operations, NAHCON, Abdullah M. Mohammad Esq cautioned AHUON on ‘over speeding’ in trying to ‘navigate to the next level’, because ‘speed kills.’ Even though he did not have a written speech, the Commissioner spoke eloquently and addressed the topic professionally. He called on the new leadership of AHUON to seek to ‘harness, but not to disperse.’  He advised them to build on the good works that the outgoing executives started by addressing challenges, avoiding ‘personal, selfish interest’ in the discharge of their duties. Leadership, in his view, is key, because, he said in Hausa, ‘In kaga sallah ta lalace, to daga limanne.’ Meaning, the imam, being the one leading the congregation, is responsible, where the prayer vitiated. The Commissioner extoled the virtues of the outgoing executives in the selfless services they rendered AHUON. ‘In their dealings with me,’ he said, ‘from Alhaji Nasiru, the President, to the last person in the hierarchy of AHUON, none of them has ever asked me for personal favour. Wallahi, I don’t even know the names of their companies.’
The Guest Speaker, therefore, urged the incoming executives and all AHUON members to emulate the commendable traits of the outgoing leadership. He said AHUON should be ‘one, united house’ where members are allegiant to the leadership, where personal opinions give way to that of the majority, and where members pay their ‘dues for the advancement of the association’. AHUON, he said, should spare no effort or expense in becoming ‘a professional body’, like Professional Institute of Hajj Operations in Nigeria.
After this opening ceremony, the meeting went into a closed-door session where outgoing officials made further presentations. Alhaji Nasiru gave report of his team’s stewardship where he traced stages of AHUON’s formation, challenges and achievements, from its infancy to the present position.
The Secretary-General, Dr Abdul Waasi’ Gabadeen presented the ‘Proposed Constitutional Amendments’ most of which was ratified by members. He ended by saying that the National Executive Council, ‘NEC members unanimously considered and ratified the appointment of DR. Abdul Waasi’ Gabadeen as the Executive Secretary of AHUON as from 14th May, 2014 for the 1st term of 4-years with no official salary attached to the office but allowances shall be provided for some basic services rendered or expenses incurred for the Association.’
I did not intend to speak for the duration of the AGM, but listening to what Dr Gabadeen mentioned of not attaching official salary to the Executive Secretary of AHUON, I had to speak. ‘Mr President,’ I began, ‘we are a business concern. We should be able to pay the salary of our Executive Secretary. Afterall, the person nominated and ratified for the post is well known to us. None of us here has put one-tenth of the efforts that Dr Gabadeen is putting, day and night, to ensure that we reach where we are today. We called him Secretary-General, which was an inadvertent misconstruction, he should have been General-Secretary, but Allah made him serve that purpose according to the real meaning of Secretary-General. That is what you have at the Arab League and the United Nations for example. They have Secretary-General, who is the CEO, who directs the entire body of the organisation. Yes, Dr Gabadeen was that and more for AHUON. He oversaw the secretariat, wrote all letters and speeches, represented us with excellence in local and international forums, and was a competent image-maker of AHUON. So, why should we not pay him full remuneration? I think should do that even if he rejected it.’
Members, with some modifications, accepted this proposition. Yes, there should be full remuneration for the office, and not the individual.
The elections brought in Alhaji Abdulfattah Abdulmajeed as the new President of AHUON, who hitherto, was the Chairman of AHUON, Lagos Zone. In his acceptance remarks, President Abdulfattah of AHUON started with Khutbatul Haajah (Innal Hamda lillaah…) which the Messenger of Allah enjoined us to start our public presentations with. He remaindered his listeners that Allah grants leadership to whom He pleases. On the achievements of his predecessors, he acknowledged their efforts in creating, nurturing and raising AHUON to what it is today; that his team will ensure that the tradition they established is built upon, sustained and navigated to the next level. ‘This is a transitional period in this industry.’ He said, ‘the period of Haram Expansion in Makkah and Madeenah. Before the expansion of the Haramain were taking 3 to 4 million pilgrims during Hajj, and about 10 million during the yearlong Umrah season. When the expansion of the Haramain is complete in two years or so, the number of pilgrims in Hajj shall be raised to 10 million and that of Umrah to 80 million.’ Therefore, the President advised members to be more committed in the activities of an industry from where we get our bread and cheese, and which, above all is the fifth pillar of our faith. The post Haramain expansion years will determine who will remain in the business and who will wiped-out the new realities, he said. He expressed gratitude the NAHCON for its advocacy and encouragement in ensuring standard service delivery to pilgrims, and sanity in the industry