Kebbi Allocates N10bn for 1,300 Hajj Seats – More Than Water, Health and Education Capital Spending Combined

The Kebbi State Government has approved N10 billion for the procurement of 1,300 additional seats for intending pilgrims participating in the 2026 Hajj exercise, an amount that exceeds the state’s combined capital expenditure on water, health and education for most of 2025.

The approval, announced on December 7, 2025, was confirmed by the Chairman of the State Pilgrim Welfare Agency, Faruku Aliyu-Yaro, who said the funding was necessary to meet the December 5 deadline issued by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

Aliyu-Yaro described the government’s action as “a decisive, compassionate, and people-centred intervention,” urging the public to view the expenditure within the context of spiritual fulfilment for citizens.

However, a review of Kebbi State’s budget performance paints a different picture – one that raises questions about fiscal priorities.

N10bn Hajj Allocation Equals 71% of Kebbi’s 2025 IGR

Between January and September 2025, Kebbi State generated just N14 billion in internally generated revenue (IGR). The N10 billion directed towards Hajj seats represents 71.4% of that entire sum.

Critical Sectors Receive Far Less

Budget documents show stark disparities:

Ministry of Water Resources: Only N86 million in capital spending within the same period.

Ministry of Higher Education: N969 million

Ministry of Health: N2.7 billion

Even the capital allocation for boreholes and overhead tanks – a mere N2 million – suggests that the amount approved for Hajj seats could fund 5,000 boreholes across the state.

Health and Education Also Trail the Hajj Vote

Clinic construction: Budgeted at N20 million per clinic, meaning the N10 billion Hajj allocation could build 500 clinics.

School furniture and fittings: N100 million earmarked for 13 schools – implying that N10 billion could equip 1,300 schools.

Past Spending Patterns Also Raise Questions

Business Hallmark’s earlier review of the 2025 budget revealed another controversial allocation:

N1.359 billion for the purchase of 1,000 fridges and freezers, averaging N679,800 per unit, under the Ministry of Special Duties’ “special intervention” programme.

That amount alone eclipses:

Kebbi State Water Board’s entire 2025 budget (N589 million)

College for Preliminary Studies, Yauri (N525.8 million)

General hospitals (N220 million)

College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega (N420 million)

College of Nursing Sciences (N1.052 billion)

Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital (N1.053 billion)

Growing Concerns Over Fiscal Priorities

These comparisons underscore mounting concerns about Kebbi State’s financial management and spending priorities, especially in a year marked by infrastructural deficits, water scarcity, underfunded schools, and health facilities in need of upgrades.

While the government insists the N10 billion Hajj allocation reflects its commitment to supporting citizens’ religious obligations, critics argue that essential public services continue to suffer from chronic underinvestment.