Kano Governor Says His State Spent N3 billion (23% of IGR) on 2016 Hajj

Here is the part of the interview where the Governor revealed how much kano State spent on this year’s Hajj.

Question: But, there were complaints from the pilgrims about the distance of their accommodation from Haram (Grand Mosque). Is there anything you intend to do about that?
Ganduje: Well, some of them mentioned it. But, you see, the issue is very dicey because, one, there is provision for vehicles; two; the government had to spend over N700 million in order to top up what the pilgrims paid. So, let us not deceive ourselves; if we are to get a house very near to the Ka’aba, the state government will spend well over N1.5 billion extra. Hajj is not an easy thing. Hajj is for those who can afford it. But, we have tried our best to see that we put them in a clustered accommodation and also where it is easy to reach the clinic. And then, the Imams are able to enter the houses and do some preaching, and the welfare officers can easily reach the houses and easy evacuation of the pilgrims at a designated place so that they can be taken to Muna or any other place. So, it is also an issue of money, I don’t want to deceive anybody; and everybody knows that there is no money now. So, the services we are providing and the Pilgrims Welfare Agency officials we are sponsoring the Medical staff and all the medication, if you put it together, you will see that we spent over N3 billion. Kano is a highly populated place. But I assure you, even if you give them houses close to Ka’aba, some will still complain.

Kano State currently generates an IGR of about N13.6 billion as at 2015 and claims it currently generates about N2 billion monthly or N24 billion annually. N3 billion on Hajj means the state government has spent around N12% of the states projected IGR or 23% of its 2015 IGR. The governor will probably see this as just one Month’s IGR.

Get the rest of the interview: INTERVIEW: How we spent N3 billion on 2016 Hajj – Kano Governor