allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Against Sponsorship of Pilgrimages

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Against Sponsorship of Pilgrimages

I am in full support of this editorial. I said so in my exit chapter on my blog. Nigeria is a Secular State and Government must stay away from religion and religion related issues. And that includes Pilgrimage, whether to Israel or Mecca. This is a thought provoking editorial. We should spend the money we waste yearly on pilgrimage to develop our schools and infrastructural facilities. What is the essence of sending Government Delegate? Is Hajj a government project? What is the responsibility of the GD? To cater to the needs of the Pilgrims or to impress the international community that Nigerian, indeed, is an Islamic State. Don't get me wrong; I am not against Islam or against any religion. But I do not want Government to unduly entangled itself on issue that should in real sense be a private affair. It is unnecessary and the exercise is a waste of government resources. This is an ideal topic for Sovereign National Conference (SNC). And I pray when it is eventually convened, the delegates selected should be intelligent enough to put together a framework for negotiating a permanent co-existence that would serve all the semi-autonomous component regions equitably. We should speak out and let other Nigerians know what ails us instead of continuing whispering in bear parlors – talking of disintegration without substantive argument is not a smart talk.