Borno to convert pilgrims board to commission
The Borno State Government has announced plans to convert the state pilgrims welfare board to a commission.
Governor Babagana Zulum, who announced this on Saturday in Maiduguri, the state capital, said the decision would ensure accountability and transparency in government spending.
He spoke while inaugurating the state’s 21-member hajj committee, chaired by Senator Kaka Lawan.
“We have to reorganise the Pilgrims Welfare Board. We shall convert the board to a commission,” the governor said.
The governor observed that establishing the commission will reduce government spending and ensure more accountability and transparency.
Zulum assured all that the committee would improve the welfare of pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj exercise.Related News
The governor charged the committee members to work diligently towards meeting the expectations of pilgrims.
He also explained why the deputy governor, Umar Kadafur, who has been the chairman of the state hajj committee for the last four years, was changed.
“Since I assumed office as governor of Borno in 2019, the deputy governor has been the chair of our Hajj committee
“This year, we decided to change because I am also going (on Hajj) and I don’t want to create a leadership vacuum in the state; so he (the deputy governor) will oversee the affairs of the state in my absence,” he stated.
Responding, the committee’s Chairman, Lawan, urged the committee members to consider the assignment a serious job involving issues of welfare, safety, and the logistics involved from Maiduguri to Saudi Arabia and returning them to the country.
He expressed gratitude to Zulum for finding them worthy and assured him of delivering on the task given to them.
