Dino Melaye, a former senator from Kogi West, has voiced his disapproval of the Federal Government’s decision to support religious pilgrimages to Mecca and Israel rather than tackling the developmental issues facing the country.
In an interview that went viral, Melaye voiced his opinion, questioning the role of the government in religious affairs and arguing that people should keep their beliefs and relationship with God to themselves.
Instead of depending on state funds, the former congressman argued that churches, mosques, and rich individuals need to be the ones to sponsor religious pilgrims.
People who are able-bodied and religious organisations, he said, were in the best position to help those who wanted to go on these kinds of spiritual adventures.
For that reason, houses of worship exist. Billionaires can fulfilll this role by providing financial support for religious pilgrimages. According to Melaye, neither the Quran nor the Bible have any hadith or chapter that states one will not enter paradise unless they perform the pilgrimages to Mecca, Umrah, or Israel.
He brought up the dismal condition of the nation’s vital infrastructure and services to cast doubt on the rationale of allocating public funds on religious travels.
If that is the case, then the government is wasting billions of naira that should be going toward development. The condition of our roadways in this nation is well-known. You are aware of the condition of our nation’s hospitals. How come we can’t set spending priorities?
“The government’s involvement with religion is irrelevant. That sending pilgrims to Jerusalem and Mecca costs hundreds of billions of dollars a year? And then you return to your sinful ways after you pray, he said.
“Even Jerusalem that you are going to, just close to Mount Sinai where you go to pray, there’s a ‘ashawo’ joint by the edge there,” Melaye stated, creating a stir with his comment about the environment surrounding religious pilgrimage destinations. He used Jerusalem as an example to cast doubt on the sincerity of some pilgrims.
Melaye emphasised that he is a spiritual person but argued that the government’s duty to supply basic necessities and advance the nation should take priority over citizens’ religious beliefs.
In addition to proposing that government resources should be put toward economic growth and improving the living standards of Nigerians, the former senator emphasised that individuals would ultimately be held accountable for their connection with God.
Why? Because, as I’ve already said, you and your God will face judgement alone. There will be zero involvement from the federal government. Prioritisation is essential. Expanding our economy is a top priority. Our technology must be developed. Our education must be strengthened. Our industries must be developed. It is imperative that we establish domestic small-scale industries. According to Melaye, that is the proper role of government.
At the end of his speech, he pleaded with the federal government to reallocate more funds to areas like as infrastructure, education, technology, industrialisation, and economic development rather than other objectives.