A fresh wave of controversy is sweeping through the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) as the Commissioner of Operations, Anofi Elegushi, has been accused of brazen disregard for civil service rules, disobedient to Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s explicit directive, nepotism and impunity.

Some senior staff, who spoke to Saturday Telegraph anonymously, disclosed that Elegushi has continued to retain a retired NAHCON official,, who they said left the service in 2023. It was alleged that despite having no legal standing in the commission, the retired officer maintains unrestricted access to official operations and enjoys privileges befitting a serving staff.

“He has no portfolio, no official role, yet he attends meetings, travels with the commissioner, and even maintains offices in both Abuja and Saudi Arabia. “This is a clear violation of the Public Service Rules, and staff confidence in the system has been badly eroded,” a source lamented. Sources further accused the Commissioner of quietly retaining a female youth corps member, who completed her national service months ago.

They said that the excorps member, who is allegedly related to Elegushi, is occupying a slot reserved for a corps member and reportedly enjoys full staff privileges. The controversy deepened after documents emerged showing that Vice-President Shettima had earlier rejected NAHCON’s request to engage retired personnel on contract.

In a memo titled “Re: Request for Special Waiver to Appoint Three Retired Officers on Contract,, the VP expressly ordered the commission to halt such engagements: “You are therefore advised to reverse any such engagements and instruct your human resources unit to conduct a proper mandate and capability assessment of your workforce,” the memo read.

Although the staff union reportedly has complained in the past about contract staff being placed above full staff, workers said that this particular case is exceptional. “People are afraid.

The Commissioner is powerful, and even the officer responsible for enforcing the rules of the commissioner has chosen to look away,” another insider disclosed. Several staff of the commission also alleged that the commissioner, who is said to be positioning himself for NAHCON chairmanship, has begun influencing strategic postings within the commission.

One such move is the alleged redeployment of Halidu Shutti as Director of Human Re- sources, an appointment they said fits into Elegushi’s broader plan to “consolidate control and advance an ethnic agenda within the organisation.”