The founder of Stanbic IBTC and ANAP Foundation, Atedo Peterside has decried the Federal Government’s N90 billion subsidy for the 2024 Hajj, describing the venture as a setback for the nation’s economy.
Peterside declared this position in an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima had stated that the FG subsidized the hajj while flagging off the 2024 inaugural flight of Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia at Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi.
According to Peterside, the move has a political undertone ahead of the next 2027 general elections.
He said, “This is not about religion but about politics. We are mixing religion and politics.
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“So, what do we now expect Christians to do? To say they want their own share of this subsidy?
“How are you going to refuse them? This is all about politics. Perhaps someone feels that ‘it is time for me to score some cheap political points’.
“You now come and send the wrong signal about our economy at a time when our economy is in deep trouble. We need to bring ourselves out of the hole.
“Each time you turn around and do something insignificant like this (hajj subsidy) and throw away N90 billion, you set back the process by which investors and others can take you seriously.
“For me, it is not just about religion and pilgrimage. It is the setback of the economy by sending the wrong signals. The government should stop sending the wrong signals.”
