Katsina State Government says it is spending N1 billion subsidising Hajj annually.
Governor Ibrahim Shema stated this on Monday in Katsina at the opening of a one-day workshop for Islamic preachers who would conduct this year’s Ramadan Tafsir (Reading, translation and commentary from the Holy Qur’an during the Ramadan fast.)
Shema said that the subsidy covered accommodation for the pilgrims in Makkah and Madina, and sponsorship of Hajj guides and preachers.
He said that other services included feeding of the pilgrims in Minna and Arafat as well as the subsidy on pilgrims’ fares, adding that the subsidy also covered the provision of 300 Saudi Riyals to each pilgrim during the Hajj.
Shema also said that the state government had constructed over 500 Mosques across the state and rehabilitated others, since its inception.
The governor urged Islamic scholars to continue to preach the importance of peace during the Ramdan fasting and beyond, saying no development could be achieved without peace.(NAN)
