At least ten state governments have collectively spent more than ₦13.1 billion on the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, an investigation by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) has revealed.
The report, highlighted by renowned investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo, raised concerns over the prioritisation of religious sponsorships amid critical debt obligations and growing socioeconomic challenges across the country.
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, Soyombo wrote:
“Despite mounting debt burdens, at least 10 state govts have collectively spent more than N13.1 billion on the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, a review by @fijnigeria has shown.
For example, Sokoto, with a debt of N55.4bn, gave N450,000 cash each to 3,200 pilgrims, amounting to N1.44bn.”
The FIJ investigation reveals a pattern of significant public expenditure by state governments on religious pilgrimages — largely funded through public coffers — despite growing calls for fiscal discipline, transparency, and urgent investment in key sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and security.
Sokoto State, a notable example cited in the report, currently has a public debt profile of ₦55.4 billion. Yet the state government disbursed ₦450,000 each to 3,200 pilgrims, totaling ₦1.44 billion in Hajj support funds.
While the full list of states involved and the individual breakdowns were not detailed in Soyombo’s initial post, FIJ’s review shines more light on the scope of the expenditure and the justification.
This report comes amid increasing public pressure for better governance, especially as Nigeria approaches the #June12Protest, a growing civil movement demanding justice, transparency, and the prioritisation of public welfare in governance.
