CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION COMMENDS INVESTIGATION INTO HAJJ SUBSIDY FRAUD
A Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has commended the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigating allegations of misappropriating N90 billion in Hajj subsidies. The CISLAC Executive Director, Auwal Musa, made the commendation in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.
According to Musa, the alleged widespread looting during the recently concluded Hajj exercise is alarming, particularly given the religious significance of the exercise. He described reports indicating that despite substantial payments and allocation of Federal Government subsidies, many pilgrims received substandard treatment as a serious concern about the management of funds by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
Musa urged the ICPC to ensure that corruption is rooted out of public institutions, saying that the commission’s efforts at exposing this monumental fraud is a step in the right direction. He also highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing struggle with corruption, citing the country’s low ranking of 150 out of 180 countries on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International.
“This CPI score, which reflects the perceived levels of public sector corruption, underscores the urgent need for reforms,” Musa said.
He expressed concern that persistent fraud and institutional failures have contributed to the country’s deepening poverty, with over 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty, according to recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Musa condemned the actions of corrupt public officials, attributing Nigeria’s current state to their wickedness. He called for a concerted effort to restore trust, integrity, and dignity to the nation’s public institutions.
“With the ICPC’s investigation, I hope this case will serve as a turning point in the fight against corruption in Nigeria,” Musa said.
The CISLAC boss attributed Nigeria’s current state to the failure of corrupt public officials, saying that the level of fraud and disregard for institutional integrity has plunged millions of Nigerians into abject poverty while a few individuals amass wealth at the expense of the general populace.
The organization urged for urgent reforms to address the country’s corruption and poverty challenges.
