El-Rufai Halted Christian Pilgrimage While Sponsoring Muslims – Sheikh Maraya

By Tgnews Reporter

A member of the Kaduna State Special Hajj Committee has leveled serious allegations against former Governor Nasir el-Rufai, claiming that his 2015 ban on government-sponsored pilgrimages disproportionately targeted Christians while Muslim officials continued to benefit from state support for the Hajj.

Sheikh Haliru Maraya, also referred to as Haliru Maraya and a participant in the state’s hajj-related activities, alleged that el-Rufai’s administration effectively halted sponsorship for Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem throughout its eight-year tenure.

In contrast, he claimed the former governor backed the sponsorship of 985 officials for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The accusations come amid renewed discussions on religious equity in state policies, following Governor Uba Sani’s recent decision to end an 11-year suspension of government-sponsored Christian pilgrimages by approving 50 Christians for the holy journey.

In 2015, shortly after taking office, then-Governor el-Rufai announced a blanket ban on state sponsorship of pilgrimages to both Mecca and Jerusalem.

The move was justified as a measure of fiscal prudence aimed at reducing overhead costs and addressing Kaduna State’s mounting debt profile.

At the time, el-Rufai stated that the government would no longer fund such programs, noting that over 2,000 pilgrims had been sponsored in 2014 alone by the state and its local governments.

Maraya, however, contended that the policy was not evenly applied. According to his claims, while Christian pilgrimage sponsorship—handled through the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Agency, which was reportedly scrapped under el-Rufai—was completely discontinued, arrangements persisted for Muslim participants, including the alleged support for 985 officials to perform the Hajj.

The allegations have sparked debate online and in public discourse, with some defending el-Rufai’s original policy as a uniform cost-cutting initiative that applied to both faiths, while others see Maraya’s statements as evidence of selective enforcement.

No immediate response has been issued from el-Rufai or his representatives regarding the specific claims.

The former governor has previously emphasized that the sponsorship halt was part of broader efforts to rescue the state’s finances from a precarious situation.

The controversy highlights ongoing sensitivities around religious balance and public resource allocation in Kaduna State, a region with significant Christian and Muslim populations.

Governor Sani’s recent reversal on Christian pilgrimage funding has been welcomed by some faith-based groups as a step toward addressing past grievances.