Uneasy calm has gripped the media and social media circles of the Kwara State Government following complaints by some pro-government media influencers over their alleged exclusion from a sponsored Umrah (Lesser Hajj) pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Kwara Reporters gathered that more than 50 persons believed to be political associates and supporters of Governor Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq are currently in Makkah for the pilgrimage.
Those said to be on the trip include the Governor himself, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, some local government chairmen, commissioners, special advisers, clerics and other political associates.
The circumstances surrounding the financing of the trip could not be independently ascertained established by Kwara Reporters. It was also unclear.
Although members of the delegation reportedly travelled aboard different flights last week, photographs and videos showing some of them in Saudi Arabia only began circulating widely on social media in recent days.
The images have triggered complaints among some of the government's online supporters, popularly known within Kwara political circles as "data boys", with some questioning why none of their colleagues appeared to have been included in the pilgrimage.
In an exclusive WhatsApp group populated largely by pro-government media supporters and monitored by our correspondent, several members expressed frustration over what they described as their continued exclusion from benefits enjoyed by other political loyalists.
One member wrote:
"We've been hearing the rumour of the Umrah since last week. We didn't believe it until it was now thrown in our faces. Are we only good for the online fight?"
Another complained:
"This is what we've been complaining about for years. We thought things would change with the crisis in the party, but it seems the more things change, the more they remain the same. Shameful!"
"When there is a political fight, everybody remembers the media boys. When it is time for opportunities, suddenly nobody remembers us."
"Some of us have defended this government every day for years. Is it too much to expect that people at the grassroots of the media struggle should also be considered?"
"We are always expected to defend every decision online, but when benefits are being shared, the same people doing the defending are nowhere on the list."
Successive administrations in the state have facilitated or supported pilgrimages involving clerics, community figures and political associates, although the sources of funding and criteria for selecting beneficiaries have periodically attracted controversy.
It's estimated that over 1,000 Kwarans have been sponsored for Hajj or Umrah with public funds in the last seven years of the Abdulrahman Abdulrazak-led administration. Lastly year alone, more than 200 beneficiaries were feried to the holy land on reportedly on public funds.
Government supporters have traditionally defended such interventions as part of religious and community engagement, while critics question whether scarce public resources should be deployed for pilgrimages, particularly when beneficiaries include political appointees and party loyalists.
The practice is, however, not restricted to the ruling political establishment.
Former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki and his political network have also sponsored supporters and associates for religious pilgrimages over the years, making pilgrimage sponsorship a recurring feature of political and philanthropic activities within Kwara State.The latest controversy is particularly significant because it is coming ahead of the 2027 elections, when political loyalty, mobilisation and the management of grassroots supporters are expected to become increasingly important across the state's major political camps.
Source : Kwara Reporters
Post a Comment