Kebbi State authorities rejected claims that a 10-billion-naira ($5.6 million) allocation for Hajj pilgrims constituted a subsidy or misuse of public funds, insisting it was a short-term recoverable loan to meet a strict national deadline, in a rebuttal to criticism from a Muslim rights group amid broader debates on religious spending in Nigeria.
The clarification followed a statement from the Muslim Rights Concern questioning the expenditure’s priorities, with Kebbi officials emphasizing the funds were fully refunded within 11 days and helped secure pilgrimage slots for local residents.
Commissioner for Information and Culture Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed explained during a briefing in Birnin Kebbi that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria set December 5, 2025, as the payment cutoff for the 2026 Hajj, prompting the state to advance the money through its Pilgrims Welfare Agency for about 1,300 intending pilgrims who had made partial deposits.
“Many of the affected pilgrims are seasonal farmers and traders, whose ability to meet the deadline was dependent on returns from late-year harvests and market activities,” Ahmed said, adding that the intervention ensured Kebbi did not forfeit its allocated slots.
He described the arrangement as a “temporary liquidity bridge” rather than sponsorship, noting repayment was completed by December 16, 2025, with bank records available for verification, boosting the state’s fully paid pilgrims to 3,629 — the second-highest nationally.
Ahmed stressed that investments in healthcare, including tertiary and primary facilities, remained unaffected by the Hajj financing.
