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
