Activist kicks as Plateau sponsors pilgrims with N7.48b

Governor bids farewell, urges prayers,

A civil society advocate, Jacob Choji Pwakim, has condemned the Plateau State government for approving N7.84 billion to sponsor 1,100 Christian pilgrims for the 2026 pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

The state government had on Saturday announced that it was sponsoring the pilgrims to the holy land as part of its social corporate responsibility, with the first batch departing the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday night.

While bidding the beneficiaries farewell at an event organised for them in Jos at the weekend, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who was represented by his deputy, Ngo Josephine Piyo, noted that the pilgrimage transcends a ceremonial exercise, emphasising its profound spiritual significance as a life-transforming experience that reconnects believers with the foundations of the Christian faith.

The governor also urged the pilgrims, whom he described as the state ambassadors, to approach the sacred journey with reverence, humility, and a genuine desire for spiritual growth, as they walk through the lands where Jesus Christ lived, ministered, and fulfilled his divine mission.

However, Pwakim, the founder of Yiavha Nigeria, a youth-based advocacy organisation, believes spending such an amount of taxpayers’ money on sponsoring pilgrims is not only a misplaced priority but also a waste of scarce state resources.

In a statement yesterday, Pwakim said spending such an amount, which, when broken down, amounts to an average of N6.8 million per pilgrim, was the height of financial recklessness as several communities in Plateau State keep crying out over a lack of basic amenities, while insecurity has skyrocketed, and youth unemployment has gone beyond a 70 per cent mark.