President Bola Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf as the new Chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON).
The Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday in a statement said the appointment is subject to the Senate’s approval in accordance with the provisions of section 3(2) of the NAHCON Act, 2026.
“President Tinubu sent a letter today to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, requesting the expeditious confirmation of Ambassador Yusuf to replace Professor Abdullahi Usman, who resigned this week, after about 14 months in the post.”
He said that Ambassador Yusuf is a seasoned Nigerian career diplomat who served as the Nigerian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Türkiye from 2021 to 2024.
The development comes 48 hours after Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman resigned as head of the agency after 14 months of rancourous tenure, especially with the board and Commissioners of the commission.
In a statement in Abuja, Usman said his decision to resign was purely for personal reasons, adding that it reflected no dissatisfaction with the commission, the government, or its mandate.
He said he arrived at the decision after careful reflection and consultation with his family and thanked the President, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the NAHCON board, management staff, and other stakeholders for their support during his tenure.
His resignation follows a petition submitted by 11 NAHCON board members to President Tinubu on January 19, 2026, calling for his removal over alleged financial indiscipline, lack of transparency, and repeated approval of expenditures and contracts beyond board approval and budget limits.
The board also accused him of awarding Hajj-related contracts in violation of the Bureau of Public Procurement Act, exposing the commission to legal, financial, and reputational risks.
Usman, however, denied any wrongdoing, insisting that his resignation was motivated solely by personal considerations.
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