Former Kogi West Senatorial District lawmaker and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dino Melaye, has criticised the government for using public funds to sponsor religious activities, including pilgrimages and marriages.
Melaye made the remarks while appearing on the KAA Truths podcast, where he questioned the decision of both state and federal governments to allocate substantial amounts of public funds to religious activities.
According to him, government resources should instead be directed towards critical infrastructure and public services, particularly roads and hospitals.
The ADC chieftain argued that religion is a personal matter and should not be funded by the government. He also questioned why public funds should be used to sponsor religious pilgrimages when churches, wealthy individuals and other private donors could provide such support.
Melaye said, “Government has no business sponsoring religious activities including marriages. It’s so wrong that government now starts funding religious activities. What is the function of the churches? What is the function of the billionaires who have made money and can sponsor people on religious pilgrimage?
“And there is no chapter in the Quran or the Bible that says if you don’t go to Mecca or Israel for pilgrimage, you will not make heaven.
“Then why will government be spending billions of naira that is supposed to be meant for development? You know the state of our roads and hospitals in this country.
“We cannot prioritize our spending. What is the business of government with religion? That we are spending hundreds of billions annually to send people to Mecca and Jerusalem?”
