A member of the Kaduna State Special Hajj Committee, Sheikh HaliruMaraya, has alleged that a former governor ofthe state, Nasir El-Rufai, sponsored Muslims to Hajj throughout his eight-year tenure despite his administration’s ban on sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages.
Maraya made the disclosure, Monday at a press conference in Kaduna.
In July 2015, two months after assuming office, El-Rufai announced the cancellation of government sponsorship of Muslim and Christian pilgrimages, stating that the state was heavily indebted to the tune of over N74.297 billion, comprising N28.840 billion in domestic debt and N45.44 billion in foreign debt.
However, Maraya disclosed that the ban was selectively applied as the El-Rufai government was sponsoring Muslims to Hajj.
He said, “At face value, the policy appeared to apply uniformly to both Muslim and Christian pilgrims. However, subsequent developments revealed a divergence between policy pronouncement and policy implementation.”
According to him, El-Rufai sponsored a total of approximately 985 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, comprising 730 officials and 255 sub-officials.
He maintained that, “There is no record of any Christian pilgrim receiving government sponsorship to Jerusalem” during the same period.
Maraya pointed out that, “while Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem was effectively halted, sponsorship for pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia continued under alternative classifications.”
He explained that the El-Rufai administration sponsored pilgrims to Saudi Arabia as officials, including medical personnel, clerics and administrative staff, to facilitate pilgrimage operations.
Maraya added that, “The second category, later termed ‘sub-officials,’ effectively functioned as direct government sponsorship, covering airfares, accommodation, feeding, and basic travelling allowances.”
Providing a breakdown of the figures, he said, “In 2015 alone, 95 officials were sponsored for pilgrimage, while in 2016, 91 officials and 40 sub-officials were sponsored.
“In 2017, 89 officials and 30 sub-officials travelled. In 2018, 95 officials and 45 sub-officials were sponsored, while in 2019, 90 officials were sponsored.”
Speaking further, Maraya said, “Although the global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted pilgrimage activities in 2020 and 2021, sponsorship resumed in 2022 with 100 officials and 40 sub-officials.
“By 2023, the number rose to 170 officials and 100 sub-officials.”
The Islamic cleric said it was necessary to clarify what he described as the duplicity of El-Rufai’s ban and the recent decision by Governor Uba Sani to lift the eleven-year suspension of Kaduna State Government sponsorship of Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
He noted that Sani’s decision to lift the suspension was a deliberate policy anchored on the principles of fairness, inclusivity and equal citizenship.
John Shiklam
