Writing by SANI DUTSINMA; Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
The Kebbi State Government has rejected the allegations by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) over the N10 billion intervention for intending pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj, describing it as misleading and not reflective of the full facts.
Speaking at a press briefing in Birnin Kebbi, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed, clarified that, the amount was not a sponsorship but a short-term loan advanced through the Pilgrims Welfare Agency to enable intending pilgrims meet the deadline set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
He explained that the Commission fixed December 5, 2025 as the deadline for full payment nationwide, but as at that date only 2,000 pilgrims from Kebbi State had fully paid, leaving approximately 1,300 others at the risk of losing their Hajj slots due to incomplete payments.
Yakubu said to prevent this outcome, the state government approved a temporary financial intervention on the clear understanding that the money would be repaid within two weeks once the affected pilgrims completed their payments, the agreement, the Commissioner confirmed, was fully honoured.
According to him, the decision to intervene was guided by the socio-economic realities of the affected pilgrims, many of whom are farmers and traders who were awaiting proceeds from late November and early December harvests and business activities, making their temporary difficulty a matter of timing rather than inability to pay.
He said as a result of the timely intervention, Kebbi State now has 3,629 fully paid pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj, ranking second nationally, and has been included in the first batch of states to be airlifted at the commencement of the Hajj operations.
The Kebbi State Government also reaffirmed that it has not neglected critical sectors such as health and infrastructure, noting that hospitals, including tertiary facilities, have been constructed, rehabilitated or are undergoing rehabilitation, alongside numerous primary healthcare centres.
