•Nigerian hajj pilgrims
Reports said each of the 3,345 pilgrims from the state received 50 Saudi Riyals as a support during the Sallah festivities and ease their stay in the Holy Land.
This was disclosed on Monday by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s representative and head of the Kano Hajj Delegation Committee, the Emir of Karaye, Alhaji Muhammad Maharaz Karaye, reports Daily Trust.
The emir delivered the governor’s goodwill message while addressing the pilgrims at Makkah’s Shari Mansur Kano House No. 1, the emir delivered Governor Yusuf’s goodwill message.
The secretary to the committee and Director-General of the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Lamin Rabi’u Danbappa, said that the disbursement process was comprehensive.
He was also reported to have announced an additional provision for the pilgrims, which would see each of them receive a large travel bag in preparation for their return journey home.
The Kebbi State Government did not subsidise the hajj fare for the 3,800 pilgrims from the state.
But in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Governor Nasir Idris approved 200 Riyal for each of the pilgrims from the state.
The Lagos State Government also did not subsidise hajj fare this year as each of the 1,315 pilgrims from the state paid about N9 million.
But Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gifted each of the pilgrims 180 riyals (equivalent of N74,870) totaling N98,454,050 for all of them.
The Jigawa State Government, which equally did not subsidise hajj fare this year, reportedly gave 100 Riyals (approximately N43,000) to each of the 930 pilgrims from the state as “Happy Arafat gift.”
Each of the 3,200 pilgrims from Sokoto State received 1,000 Riyals (equivalent to N450,000) as a sallah gift from Governor Ahmed Aliyu.
The governor made the announcement on Saturday during his visit to the Sokoto contingent in Mina, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he congratulated them on the successful completion of the hajj exercise.
The governor explained that the gesture was aimed at supporting the pilgrims financially as they prepared for their return journey to Nigeria.
Earlier, the State Amirul Hajj, Alhaji Ummarun Kwabo, had thanked the governor for his support which, he said, significantly contributed to the success of this year’s hajj operations.
He noted that all the committee set up for the pilgrimage had been working diligently to ensure a smooth and successful exercise.
Borno pays for pilgrims’ rams
The deputy governor of Borno State, Umar Usman Kadafur, announced that the state government paid the cost of sacrificial ram (hadiyya) for each of the pilgrims from the state.
A total of 2,174 pilgrims were said to have performed this year’s hajj from the state.
When contacted, Malam Dauda Iliya, the Special Adviser to Governor Babagana Zulum, said apart from the hadiya, he was not aware of any subsidy to the pilgrims by the state government.
Expenses misplaced priority— Analyst, clerics
A public affairs analyst, Professor Yahaya Tanko, in an interview, described state governments’ expenditures on hajj “a misplacement of priorities.”
He said the governors should rather focus on addressing security concerns and improving the welfare of citizens.
“This is a misplacement of priorities by government. They do not seem to value governance, especially issues of real concern to the people,” he said.
He said at a time when the insecurity continued to threaten the livelihoods of citizens, particularly farmers and displaced persons, state governments should be directing resources towards improving safety and economic conditions rather than sponsor religious pilgrimages.
“A government whose people cannot go to their farms, whose communities are displaced, and whose citizens struggle daily to raise ransom for kidnapped loved ones should focus on these pressing concerns. Diverting resources to pilgrimage sponsorship is ill-advised,” Tanko stated.
“Even if security is within the exclusive list of federal responsibilities, the people affected by insecurity are residents of these states. State governments must contribute to securing the environment in which their people live,” he said.
He said failure to prioritise security would render government investments in education, agriculture, health and social welfare meaningless.
“Without security, all other investments, be it in education, health, or agriculture, amount to nothing. A government that watches helplessly while its people suffer should not divert resources to pilgrimage sponsorship.
“Going to Hajj should be a personal or community effort. Committing huge public funds to sponsor individuals for religious activities, especially in the face of security and economic challenges, is highly questionable,” the don said.
He urged state governments to reallocate resources towards securing lives and improving the standard of living for their citizens.
Also commenting on the
issue, the national chief imam of the Al-Habibiyah Islamic Society (AIS) Sheik Fuad Adeyemi, said though it is not illegal for the federal and state governments to sponsor pilgrims for hajj, the resources deployed should have been utilized for other priorities that would benefit more people with more positive impacts.
“The billions could have been used to sponsor the education of the children of the pilgrims. This would benefit the pilgrims, the children and by extension the community, for which they would be grateful for life.
“Some of the people sponsored for the pilgrimage, still do not understand some of the hajj rites and those who paid themselves seems to be better prepared and engaged in the hajj rites better.
“The issue even seems like ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’. How much would be claimed to have been spent and how much was actually spend?
“So, sponsoring pilgrims and also spending that much as gift for them should be reviewed by those concerned and use the resources for projects and other interventions that would benefit the greater majority,” Adeyemi said.
