The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has expressed its full support for the appointment of Ambassador Ismail Yusuf Abba as its new acting chairman.
The announcement, made by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, followed the sudden resignation of Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman on Monday, February 9, 2025.
Ambassador Abba’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
In a statement released on Wednesday night and signed by Fatima Sanda Usara, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, NAHCON urged its staff and stakeholders to extend their full cooperation to the new chairman. This call to action is particularly crucial as preparations for the upcoming Hajj season were already well underway.
Ambassador Abba is a distinguished retired career diplomat, most recently serving as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey. He holds an Honours degree in Political Science from Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, graduating in 1985. His extensive 35-year career in the Foreign Service began in December 1986, following his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
Throughout his career, Ambassador Yusuf has held various significant roles, including diplomatic postings in Argentina, Italy, and China. At headquarters, he served across numerous directorates, notably anchoring the secretariat of the Presidential Committees on Hajj (PCH) from 2002-2007. The PCH’s work was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the establishment of NAHCON in 2006, where Ambassador Yusuf also served as schedule secretary.
His expertise in Hajj affairs is further highlighted by his role as secretary of a high-level Federal Government delegation in 2005, which studied Hajj arrangements in Malaysia and Indonesia. The findings from this delegation significantly influenced NAHCON’s early initiatives, particularly the establishment of the Hajj Savings Scheme. Ambassador Yusuf also served as Secretary for two successive Federal Government Delegations (Amirul Hajj) in 2012 and 2013.
From 2011 to 2013, Ambassador Yusuf was deployed to the Presidential Villa, serving as Special Assistant on Presidential Matters in the office of the Chief of Staff to the President. He is proficient in Hausa, Yoruba, Igala, English, and Spanish.
