The obnoxious directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), authorizing banks and forex dealers to sell dollars to intending Hajj pilgrims at a concessionary exchange rate of N197 per dollar far below the prevailing market rate speaks directly to the absurdity of introducing a religious paradigm into the body politic. It is an affront to the secularity of Nigeria as Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution states that: “the government of the federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion.” The action reels of myopia, seething corruption, mindless impunity, and an insensitive, self-centered political class, deficient and bereft of people-oriented leadership. It demeans Nigeria in no small measure and weighs negatively on her level of political maturity and culture. It is disheartening that at a time the nation is suffocating under economic crisis, and efforts are being made to conserve forex, the Buhari-led APC government is sabotaging itself by making forex available through the backdoor to Muslims.
In the controversial circular issued last Thursday, the CBN said the federal government has approved that Pilgrim Travel Allowance (PTA) be sold to intending pilgrims at a concessionary exchange rate of N197 to the US dollar. Each pilgrim is entitled to purchase a minimum of $750 and maximum of US$1,000; and no commission shall be charged by the banks for the sale of the PTA. At a time when governments at all levels cannot pay workers and many industries are groaning under non-availability of forex and at a time households and small businesses are feeling the heat of scarcity of funds, Muslims going on holy pilgrimage to Mecca, would enjoy a lower exchange rate because of the president’s concession. Of course, the same concession is bound to be extended to Christian pilgrims.
The President’s intervention in religious matters in this manner is highly unacceptable. Indeed, such a concession should never have been given by this government if Buhari really wants Nigerians to take him seriously on his much-touted promise of change. Not only does it overtly negate the secularity of the nation, it portrays Buhari as a liar, because he pledged to stop state sponsorship of pilgrimages after taking office last year. Many Nigerian students are stranded overseas because their sponsors back home cannot remit funds to them due to the scarcity of forex. CBN even stopped importation of 41 non-essential items, to conserve forex. If the government could stop these importers whose businesses employ Nigerians, it has no justification to subsidize pilgrims. This is another opportunity for racketeering for the privileged few who will access these cheap dollars and resell them on the black market for profit.
Honestly, this is one issue that ought to have gone with the inglorious past of official profligacy and lack of direction by the PDP. That this administration is dabbling into a matter that would not by any means improve the well-being of Nigerians, only casts it in the mold of a regime without priorities; and betrays Buhari’s failure to understand the national issues on which he should expend his energy. This lack of priorities at the federal level is also replicated at the state level, where states owing workers salary arrears, spend billions of naira to fund religious activities that add no value to the welfare of the citizens.
Nigeria accounts for almost half of the entire population of annual pilgrims from Africa. From 46,984 pilgrims in 1984, the population rose to 81,267 pilgrims in 1994 and 109,143 pilgrims in 2004 and above 200,000 in 2015. So, in addition to the Hajj subsidy for expenses incurred on air passage, feeding, local transportation in Saudi Arabia, and accommodation, the federal government will lose another $200 million on subsidized PTA dollars. And where will these funds come from?
In Islamic jurisprudence, the performance of any major religious obligation is contingent upon fulfillment of certain conditions that are tied to the Maqasid al-Shari’ah. For instance, sanity and maturity are among the conditions for Salat, sound health and stability are among those for fasting, attainment of Nisab after the deduction of liability is a condition for Zakat while physical and financial means are among the conditions for Hajj; based on the concept of Istita‘ah; a technical term that means ability, means or affordability. In other words, unless a pilgrim has the means to perform Hajj, is able to perform it and can afford to perform it, he is not expected to go to Mecca for that purpose. Therefore, anyone who cannot provide for his own upkeep in Mecca, and cater for his dependents at home, will be violating the concept of Istita’ah, going on Hajj.
This violation of the concept of Istita’ah came in the form of an international embarrassment in 2014 when several Nigerian pilgrims went begging and borrowing following a delay in the payment of their allowances by the government. It is obvious these pilgrims lacked the financial means for Hajj; and it raises fundamental questions about the rational or otherwise of the government subsidizing these pilgrimages. Religion has always been a sore point in Nigeria, and for purposes of national stability, the government must reckon with the religious plurality of the country by not funding pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims, and treating Islam and Christianity as the only religions in the country. The nation can only enjoy religious tolerance and peace when religion is appreciated and treated strictly as a personal affair. Anybody who wants to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Mecca or any other place should do so on his or her own expense. The government must not be encouraging religious tourism that boosts the economies of other countries at the expense of the Nigerian economy.
In some respects, these trips that have become a jamboree of sorts and neither uplift the pilgrim, nor benefit the nation. Instead, crime has increased, just as thieving politicians and government officials, who are visible, passionate and celebrated adherents of the two major religions, have increase. In other words, the pretentious religiosity of Nigerians and pilgrimages to foreign lands hardly reflects in their character and public conduct, evident in the mind-bogglingly inept and corrupt leadership they provide. It is highly questionable whether religion has played any meaningful or positive role in the life of this country beyond the divisive and volatile identity it has created for itself; heating up the polity in the struggle for relevance and competition for space and dominance between the two major religions.
The whole world is dismayed at Nigerians’ dubious religiosity which was why at a time, the Saudi authorities tried to reduce the influx of Nigerian citizens to Mecca by proposing that any Nigerian who had been to Mecca for pilgrimage five times should not be allowed again. But the Nigerian government frustrated the proposal. More than anywhere else in the world, Nigeria is notorious for its alarming proliferation of religious institutions, beliefs and places of worship. Instead of Buhari’s patronizing approach to pilgrims, he should be thinking seriously of how to stop the nation’s involvement in religious affairs by scrapping the Christian and Muslim pilgrims’ boards. The President should not drag the country into such destructive, distractive, unhealthy and volatile disputations rooted in religion, the type that creates cleavages and tension. After all, a man’s religion is not better than his character.
