A member of the Kaduna State Special Hajj Committee, Sheikh Haliru Maraya, has alleged that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, sponsored Muslims to Hajj throughout his eight-year tenure despite officially banning state-sponsored pilgrimages. Maraya made the allegation on Monday during a press conference in Kaduna. In July 2015, two months after assuming office, El-Rufai […]
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A member of the Kaduna State Special Hajj Committee, Sheikh Haliru Maraya, has alleged that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, sponsored Muslims to Hajj throughout his eight-year tenure despite officially banning state-sponsored pilgrimages.
Maraya made the allegation on Monday during a press conference in Kaduna.
In July 2015, two months after assuming office, El-Rufai announced the cancellation of government sponsorship of both Muslim and Christian pilgrimages, citing the state’s heavy debt burden of over N74.297 billion — comprising N28.840 billion in domestic debt and N45.44 billion in foreign debt.
‘Policy Diverged From Practice’
According to Maraya, while the policy appeared to apply uniformly to both Muslim and Christian pilgrims, its implementation told a different story.
“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,” he said.
He alleged that El-Rufai sponsored approximately 985 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia during his tenure, including 730 officials and 255 sub-officials.
“There is no record of any Christian pilgrim receiving government sponsorship to Jerusalem” within the same period, Maraya claimed.
He further stated that while Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem was effectively halted, sponsorship for pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia allegedly continued under alternative classifications.
Breakdown Of Alleged Sponsorship
Maraya explained that pilgrims were sponsored as officials — including medical personnel, clerics and administrative staff — to facilitate pilgrimage operations.
“The second category, later termed ‘sub-officials,’ effectively functioned as direct government sponsorship, covering airfares, accommodation, feeding and basic travelling allowances,” he added.
Providing a yearly breakdown, he said:
In 2015, 95 officials were sponsored.
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.
In 2019, 90 officials were sponsored.
He noted that although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted pilgrimage activities in 2020 and 2021, sponsorship allegedly resumed in 2022 with 100 officials and 40 sub-officials, and rose in 2023 to 170 officials and 100 sub-officials.
Link To Recent Policy Shift
Maraya said the clarification became necessary following the decision of Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, to lift the eleven-year suspension of state government sponsorship of Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
He described Sani’s move as a deliberate policy anchored on fairness, inclusivity and equal citizenship.
The allegations have not been publicly responded to by El-Rufai as of the time of filing this report.
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