Ebonyi State Approves Over N500 Million For 2025 Hajj Sponsorship Amid Economic Hardship
As many families in Ebonyi struggle with rising food prices and insecurity, the state government has approved N551.5 million to sponsor 46 Muslim pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj.
The announcement was made by State Commissioner for Information, Jude Chikadibia Okpor, following the State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting on February 7, 2025, which was presided over by Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
Okpor explained that the decision aligns with the government’s commitment to religious tolerance and inclusivity.
“Ebonyi is a secular state that promotes peaceful coexistence. As part of this, the government has approved N551,502,142.84 for the sponsorship of 46 prospective pilgrims, amounting to N8.78 million per person,” he said.
The government also urged local government chairmen to sponsor at least one additional pilgrim per LGA to ensure broader participation.
In another statement posted on his verified Facebook page, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, backtracked from his earlier press statement. According to him, Ebonyi State will only sponsor 20 Muslims to 2025 Hajj instead of 46 he earlier stated.
The statement read: “Following the request by the Ebonyi State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board that the state government sponsors 46 Muslim Pilgrims to the 2025 Hajj, the Ebonyi Executive Council in its seating of Friday, 7th February, 2025, resolved that the Ebonyi State Government would sponsor 20 pilgrims, the statutory nominees – a medical doctor, a female nurse, a cook and security agents as required by Hajj regulations. Others are board members, Imam, Hausa Community, and Yoruba Community. The Local Government Areas, on the other hand, would sponsor 13 pilgrims, one from each LGA.”
“The Hajj fare for the Southern Zone as announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) stands at Eight Million Six Hundred and twenty-six thousand eight hundred naira (N8,626,800), to and fro. This is different from other allowances, charges and levies. This cost of airfare is occasioned by the prevailing foreign exchange rate. However, put together, the total sum is far below the figure erroneously reported earlier.
“While taking responsibility for the error in the earlier report and the concomitant confusion, we wish to state that Ebonyi State is reputed for its hospitability and ever-accommodating spirit. This is not the time to allow sentiment override our true nature. We are not known for religious intolerance. Worthy of mention is the fact that these candidates are mostly our fellow Ebonyians.” Okpor concluded.
