WAKE UP NIGERIA: Hands off Religion Subsidy – Adesanya-Davies
Re: FG subsidises 2024 Hajj fares with N90bn
This is a wake up call to Nigeria, following a report by Jasmine, on March 29, 2024 captioned, “FG subsidises 2024 Hajj fares with N90bn,”Former female Presidential Candidate Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies has condemned the stance saying, “WAKE UP NIGERIA! Let’s stop, “Religion Subsidy” of any sort in the nation whether for Muslims or Christians. Are we okay!?
Do we actually call this Religion Subsidy, or a Subsidy Regime of Pilgrims Travel Expenses? Whatever!!!
This is a kind of “Theft and sleaze fueled by malfeasance and miscellaneous misconducts of public officials being used to cover unjustified but spurious administrative and overhead cost, and would have to stop!”
For God’s sake, “Is going to Hajj or Jerusalem a compulsory thing and a government concern in a secular nation? Why all these yearly religions subsidy? Who has done this to Nigeria! In the face of abject poverty! Supporting other nations’ Tourism economy year in and year out without thinking, even now that people are suffering from hungry and our own economy is in a total mess and shambles! Why can’t the government rather give all these monies to empower the down trodden? We keep breeding banditry. We keep facing insecurity. No electricity, no water, no road, no education, no food…. WAKE UP PRESIDENT TINUBU, WAKE UP NIGERIA!
It was sadly reported that, “The Nigerian federal government has allocated N90 billion to subsidize the 2024 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, according to a reliable source within the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), as disclosed to Daily Trust on Thursday.
“The undisclosed source highlighted that this intervention prevented each pilgrim from being burdened with an additional N3.5 million on top of the initial fare of N4.9 million.
“A senior official at the Presidency also confirmed the provision of financial support for the hajj exercise, though exact figures were not disclosed.
“Previously, NAHCON had set the fare at N4.9 million per pilgrim, citing an exchange rate of N897 to a dollar. However, due to currency fluctuations and forex challenges, the commission raised the fare to N6.8 million, leaving intending pilgrims to cover the difference.
The recent hike was attributed to the ongoing foreign exchange crisis in Nigeria, with NAHCON expressing that it required N230 billion in total support from the government to address the fare differential.
Additionally, NAHCON has reached out to state governors to assist in subsidizing the hajj fare for pilgrims in their respective states. Notably, Kano responded by subsidizing N500,000 for each pilgrim.
While the N90 billion government support could only fully subsidize 19,000 intending pilgrims by N3.5 million each, it still alleviated the burden for all pilgrims by reducing their additional payment to N1.9 million.
A source from the Presidency acknowledged the government’s substantial financial support for the pilgrimage, emphasizing the government’s policy not to openly announce such support to avoid perceptions of favoritism toward any particular faith.
Adesanya-Davies while advising President Ahmed Tinubu to brace up and do the right thing,” added, “As the poor Nigerians continue to wallow in poverty, if you reject my advice, one day, by the special grace of God, we shall have a sane Government that shall hands off any form of “Religion Subsidy, or a Subsidy Regime of Pilgrims Travel Expenses. And it won’t be long.”
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