The Kebbi State government has rejected the allegation by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) that the N10 billion State “intervention for intending pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj,” was a “diverted fund”, describing it as misleading and not reflective of the full facts.
Insisting that the fund was “a temporary and fully recoverable intervention to protect the interests of Kebbi pilgrims,” the government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed, pointed out that the amount “is not a sponsorship or grant but a short-term loan advanced through the Kebbi State Pilgrims Welfare Agency to enable intending pilgrims meet the deadline set by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.”
He explained that the Commission fixed 5 December 2025 as the deadline for full payment nationwide, but as at that date, only about 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.
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.
This agreement, the Commissioner disclosed, was fully honoured.
“By 16 December 2025, just 11 days after the intervention, the entire N10 billion had been repaid in full and returned to government coffers, with no loss of public funds.
“Bank and agency records are available for public scrutiny to confirm both the date the loan was granted and the date it was fully repaid,” he said.
According to him, the decision to intervene was guided by the socioeconomic 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.
“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,” Ahmed enthused.
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.
While recognizing the role of civil society groups in promoting accountability, the government, however, urged MURIC to verify facts before public commentary, and reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, good governance and the best interest of the people of Kebbi State.
