Niger spent N1b on 2013 pilgrimage

Though the Niger State Government claimed it has stopped the sponsorship of people on Holy pilgrimage to either Mecca or Jerusalem, but in 2013 it subsidized the pilgrimages by the faithful with over N1 billion.
The Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Alhaji Shehu Haruna, who disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the end of the State Executive Council meeting, said that the subsidy by the government enabled the faithful to perform their religious obligations with little stress.
According to Haruna: “The investment in the sector was to maintain the religious harmony existing in the state.
“During the Hajj, the state was able to provide the best accommodation for its pilgrims.
“And because of the intervention of the government, Niger State Christian pilgrims were adjudged as one of the best in behaviour and conduct during the exercise and there was also no reported case of defection by any pilgrim from the state either in Saudi Arabia or Israel.
“As a result of the positive posture of the government, a religious organization based in Saudi Arabia is to honour the Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, for organizing the best accommodation for pilgrims in Africa.
“The date for the award ceremony will be known in due course.”
The Commissioner also said that the government has viewed with serious concern the drop in performance of students in their academic performances and attributed this to less rewarding exercises.
Haruna said government has therefore appealed to parents to take more active interest in the education of their children by reducing the period spent on these less rewarding efforts.