The Penumbra of Influence: How Mercenary Journalism Built False Narratives Around NAHCON
Editor’s note: In this piece, Ahmad Muazu, a media aide at NAHCON, takes readers behind the hostile coverage and headlines trailing the Hajj commission. He explains how certain stories gain traction, how they spread, and what many reports leave unsaid.
There comes a moment when silence stops serving the public good. That moment arrives when falsehood is repeated often enough to seek legitimacy.
Every industry has its weather. In the Nigerian Hajj industry, the storm always gathers around power. It is a familiar pattern. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 Hajj, a new cycle began. At first, quietly. Then predictably, headlines hardened. Anonymous voices multiplied, and a familiar rhythm returned. What we are witnessing today is not scrutiny, but a spectacle. It's not inquiry, but intent.
Source: Getty Images
What the public has been fed in recent months is not journalism committed to ensuring accountability and reform. It is a relentless march of poisoned pens orchestrated by mercenary journalists, who have embarked on a coordinated narrative built to create pressure, erode confidence, and unsettle leadership at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, particularly the office of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman. The stories are dressed in the language of accountability, yet stripped of its discipline. A deliberate, well-funded wave of media banditry has set its sights on the apex of the Commission, designed not to inform, but to unseat. The objective is surgical: character assassination draped in the guise of journalism, aiming to deliver change at the top using the ink of propaganda.
I write this as an insider, not a distant commentator, but someone who works within the Commission. I observe its processes and understand the weight of its mandate. I also write as someone who respects the institution and the seriousness of the responsibility it carries for millions of Nigerian Hujjaj.
Read closely, and the pattern reveals itself, and the pattern is impossible to ignore. Reports cite anonymous, faceless insiders who never emerge. They reference senior officials who cannot be identified. They quote experts who display little understanding of the operational, legal, and diplomatic realities of Hajj administration. Each article presents itself as urgent and authoritative, yet none can withstand basic inquiry. The story is always the same, only the adjectives change. Today it is “exclusive.” Tomorrow it is “investigative.” The next day, it is “fact check.” The labels rotate, but the substance remains hollow and the same.
In responsible journalism, verification comes before publication, and this ensures one of the hallmarks of the profession: credibility. Fair hearing is not an afterthought, but an important requirement. Yet many of these stories rely on a ritual disclaimer that substitutes effort for inquiry. A single line noting that attempts to reach the Commission were unsuccessful is used to excuse the absence of engagement and getting the other side of the story to ensure balance. This is not diligence, but a self-serving hatchet job to achieve a selfish goal
Notably, established media institutions with reputations to protect have largely avoided these claims. Where editors demand documentation, solid facts, and balance, the rumours easily collapse. That absence should tell the public something. Allegations that cannot survive editorial scrutiny often migrate to platforms where standards are flexible and low, resulting in a charade.
Source: Getty Images
It is fair to ask what purpose these narratives serve. If the goal were reform, it would begin with verifiable facts, objective policy scrutiny, and clear recommendations. Instead, what we see is agitation without evidence, urgency without substance. Such campaigns are rarely about reform. They are about leverage. They seek to apply pressure, extract concessions, or force access. When that fails, the noise intensifies.
This is not a new tactic. It is a familiar economy where accusation precedes negotiation, and silence is offered at a price. Public interest becomes a costume. The transaction happens offstage. This is ransom journalism, polished to look like public interest. The writers know the script by heart. Write, publish, and await payment. Repeat. Evidence is unnecessary when the goal is noise. Accountability is irrelevant when the payment has already been promised.
As preparations begin for the 2026 Hajj, even before visas are processed or budgets finalised, these narratives are already being seeded. This is not foresight. It is premeditation.
Here is the twist these mercenaries fail to understand about the institution they target. NAHCON is not a fragile organisation sustained by sentiment or headlines. It is a statutory body grounded by law, specifically the NAHCON Act of 2006, and guided by a clear mandate to serve Nigerian Muslims undertaking the most significant sacred journeys of their lives, the Hajj. With a clear vision which is to provide efficient and effective services to the pilgrims. The commission has endured pressure before. It has faced storms louder than this.
The public deserves clarity, not confusion. It deserves to understand the difference between genuine watchdog journalism and coordinated pressure disguised as concern. Evidence matters. Process matters. Motive matters.
To the public, my appeal is simple. Pay attention to patterns. Question stories heavy on accusation but light on proof. Compare the steady, methodical work of Hajj administration with the erratic rhythm of sensational headlines.
As for those who trade in influence through distortion, their methods are well known. Such empires rarely endure. Truth does not require noise to survive.
The Commission will continue its work. The Chairman will continue to discharge his mandate, with the full support of the commissioners and board, not because they are insulated from criticism, but because their actions are grounded in law, guided by purpose, and directed toward service.
Ahmad Muazu is the Technical Assistant in Media at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), where he manages communications and media relations. He can be reached at Muazu.ahmad@nahcon.gov.ng
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Legit.ng.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
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