Eavesdropping? The Said And The Unsaid!

Listening to a recent discuss on the propriety or otherwise of sponsorship of pilgrimages by the Nigerian govt, I was able to glean the following points from panelists:

That such expenditure is at variance with the Nigerian constitution which states clearly that there shall be no state religion.

That this expenditure is currently in the order of $1.4Billion annually!

That it is used mainly as political compensation for party supporters, stooges and cronies.

That such amounts to misapplication of our scarce resources.

That matters of religious ideologies, convinctions, injunctions and duties....including pilgrimages....are personal.

That as such, govt should divest itself of such encumberances.

That such funds should be directed at providing infrastruture like electricity, roads, water, hospitals and schools.

That such funds as now misapplied on issues akin to sponsorship of tourism and holidays of private persons are helping to sustain foreign economies.

That whereas Christians embark on such pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome and Athens, no Biblical injunction mandates them to do so.

That even Islamic pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina are conditional religious injunctions premised on the financial capability of individual muslims to afford such travels.

That Nigeria is about the only nation that does this.

That Nigeria should desist from erecting churches and mosques at govt expense and in official residences of senior govt functionaries.

.....But one important thing was left unsaid....
.....That monies so squandered are taxpayers' monies.....

.....That if citizens must be hounded to pay taxes....and issued threats of "fire and brimstone" if they fail to do so, such monies as accruing from such taxes must be judiciously dispensed!

.....That our govt officials must start acting responsibly and shed their inglorious garbs of prodigal thugs and gangsters!

Dr Tosin Akindele is a Lagos-based Medical Practitioner, a former Secretary of AGPMPN Ikorodu zone , a former Secretary of the Quackery Committee of AGPMPN Lagos State Branch, founder of Analytical Minds, a good health advocate and social critic.

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Articles by Tosin Akindele