Dino Melaye criticizes government spending on religious pilgrimages

Former Kogi West Senator and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Dino Melaye has criticized the Nigerian government for allocating billions of naira to fund religious pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem.

Speaking on the KAA Truths podcast, Melaye argued that taxpayer money should be prioritized for critical national development sectors, specifically citing the poor state of roads and healthcare facilities across the country. He asserted that religious activities and pilgrimages should be financed by religious organizations or wealthy individuals rather than the state.

Melaye noted that neither Christianity nor Islam requires travel to holy sites as a condition for salvation. He further questioned the efficacy of such spending, suggesting that religious travel does not necessarily guarantee moral improvement, pointing to the presence of immoral activities even near significant religious sites like Mount Sinai.