Against the grave downturn of the country’s economy and the very hard times that citizens are going through, the disclosure that the federal government spent N90 billion to subsidise this year’s hajj operations is shocking. Profligacy is partly responsible for the current exceptional hardship ravaging the country. Surprisingly, the deteriorating economy has not deterred the ruling class from spending the fleeting commonwealth on fruitless adventures. Pilgrimage sponsorship is one such escapade. To ingratiate themselves with the religious faithful, particularly of the Muslim and Christian extractions, politicians have further burdened the national treasury with unnecessary expenses. No doubt, pilgrimages hold great significance to religious people; however, they are personal issues and irrelevant to Nigeria’s development and economic growth.
Every year, the Nigerian government at all levels plunges billions of naira to send exclusively Muslim and Christian adherents on foreign pilgrimages. When Muhammadu Buhari-led administration dissociated itself from this age-long tradition, it was expected that the discontinuance would mark the final exit of such wasteful expenditure by all tiers of government.
Good enough the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed that the President “has approved a massive cost-cutting exercise that will cut across the entire Federal Government of Nigeria.” It was widely expected that this cost-cutting would stop sponsorship of pilgrimage for good. However, to the utmost chagrin of many Nigerians, Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed the other day that the federal government subsidised the 2024 Hajj with N90 billion!
Representing the President at the flag-off of the inaugural airlift for the year’s Hajj exercise, Shettima stated that the President, in demonstration of his immense importance to religious pilgrimages, worked round the clock to control the downward spiral of the Naira currency to lower Hajj fare for intending pilgrims; and also approved N90 billion to subsidise the cost of pilgrimage. On his part, the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr Nasir Idris, revealed that he spent N900 million to renovate the Hajj Camp in Birnin Kebbi. Evidently, the government’s involvement in religious pilgrimages is solely for political gains.
Expectedly, the federal government is under fire over its crass indiscretion in diverting public funds for the personal use of a select few at a time when the vast majority of Nigerians are wallowing in abject poverty. Some concerned citizens argue that the act is discriminatory against other Nigerians, illogical, and unconstitutional. The development has resuscitated the controversy on whether Nigeria is a secular state in the strict sense. Importantly, however, Nigeria cannot reasonably be subsidising pilgrimages, a personal endeavour, from her lean public purse
Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that: “The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.” However, this provision has been a subject of tendentious interpretations and intense intellectual contest. Pro-secular proponents assert that the stated Section barricaded the affairs of government from religious practices and also bestowed secularity upon the Nigerian state. This argument is strengthened by the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination on the grounds of religion.
Conversely, it is contended that there are several constitutional provisions and laws, which negate Nigeria’s secularism. The exponents of this thought opine that Nigeria is a multi-religious State with two predominant religions, namely; Christianity and Islam. They base their stance on Section 17(3)(b) of the Constitution, which enjoins the State to provide facilities for religious life; and Sections 260 and 275, which respectively established Sharia Courts of Appeal for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and “any State that requires it.” The Constitution also requires not less than three members of the Court of Appeal to be persons learned in Islamic personal law.
Furthermore, in the seventh schedule, the Constitution mandates elected officers and judicial officers to take the oath of office (usually with a Bible or Quran), and by the Public Holidays Act, Christian and Muslim festivals are kept as public holidays throughout the country. Instructively, Nigeria remains a full member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The most controversial twist is the adoption of Sharia Law by several Northern states without any legal consequences. Against this backdrop, non-secular theorists submit that state sponsorship of religious pilgrimages raises no constitutional or legal red flags because Nigeria is a multi-religious country.
Nonetheless, Section 10 of the Constitution casts no doubt as to the secular status of Nigeria. Also, the constitutional and statutory provisions cited do not contradict secularism. Perhaps, the profound point that challenges the secularity of Nigeria is the creation of the Sharia Court of Appeal. A pertinent question is whether the Constitution is self-contradictory by prohibiting State religion and at the same time establishing a religious court.
However, the Constitution also established Customary Courts of Appeal for the FCT and any state that so desires. There is also a similar requirement for the Court of Appeal to consist of at least three judges knowledgeable in Customary Law. Accordingly, Sharia Courts are intended to fulfill for Muslims the role of Customary Courts to non-Muslims because the Islamic system has substantially supplanted the local customs in many parts of Northern Nigeria.
Clearly, the Constitution did not label Nigeria with any theocratic tag. On the contrary, it renders the entire federation irreligious. Accordingly, the adoption of Islamic law by some states is unconstitutional. This unlawful act and Nigeria’s OIC membership are self-serving divisive tactics devised by rulers to appeal to the religious sentiments of a section of the Country. Importantly, there is a convergence of opinions that religion is a private affair, and hence should be treated as such by political authorities.
The government has no business funding spiritual voyages with taxpayers’ money! Steve Orosanye Report of 2012 recommended the abolition of state-sponsored pilgrimages and also recommended that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission be abolished and their functions transferred to a department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Regrettably, these proposals were rejected by the government without any justifiable reason.
It is beyond absurdity for governors who find a monthly national minimum wage of N60,000 unsustainable to regularly splash billions of naira on religious leisure. Ironically, many of the states that flaunt the sponsorship of pilgrims and building of [place of worship] as achievement rank among those with the worst indices in education, child and maternal mortality, and economic development. The government also sends large contingents on pilgrimage on a separate budget and also funds the various Pilgrimage Commissions. What an exorbitant misplaced priority!
State sponsorship of pilgrimage is a corruption engine devoid of national benefits. How does pilgrimage solve Nigeria’s multidimensional and hydra-headed problems? Public officers have not narrowed their appetite for bribery and corruption despite active pilgrimage participation. Additionally, religious adherents commit crimes. Nigeria is the big loser for meddling in religious matters! Consequently, the government must desist from this illegitimate practice and prioritise its primary role as the security and welfare provider of the people.
Logically, funds for sponsoring pilgrimages should be channelled to provide basic needs like water, roads, schools, hospitals, power, and employment opportunities for unemployed Nigerian youths. State sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages must stop! Pilgrimage is a spiritual activity only befitting for those who can afford it. It is wrong for the Nigerian government to reduce pilgrimages to religious exhibitionism and status symbolism at the expense of common patrimony. It is a shame that politicians are fixated on immediate benefits rather than legacy projects for the common good of all.
Nigerians must collectively rise against the government’s wasteful spending and insist on policies that bring the dividends of democracy; address the needs of the people; increase productivity and meet the demands of governance. The country is in bad shape. Therefore, the present crop of leaders should take heed as all the ingredients for potential failure are present in the extant administration.
