Press Releases

Fashola Urges States To Show Capacity To Manage Pilgrimages
• “Issues like pilgrimages should be left to the States”, he says

Apr 8, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Thursday urged state governments in the country to demonstrate the capacity to manage the pilgrimage exercise in their states saying it is the only way to make the Federal Government hands off the yearly exercise.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja while receiving the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee set up by the State Government last year to manage the 2009 Christian Pilgrimage in the State, said if the states show capacity to manage the exercise, the National Pilgrims Committee will be left with nothing to do except as observers.

According to the governor, “When the National Committee begins to see that the states have their own capacity to scrutinize and screen their pilgrims, when they see that the states go and return with their pilgrims, that the states can make arrangement for the health and welfare of the pilgrims, they will be left only with one thing; they will be observers just as you want them to be”.

Commending the Ad hoc Committee for a job well done, the Governor declared, “I believe the brief which your committee had was not only fulfilled but have been surpassed”, adding, “What you have done in 2009 was to set a model of hitch free pilgrimages. Other states will expectedly and happily aspire to match what you have done”.

He urged that subsequent committees to raise their benchmarks for success and self assessment, promising that all the constraints which the committee pointed out in their report would be dealt with “sooner than later”.

Governor Fashola singled out the secretary of the Committee, Mrs. Ronke Adepoju for commendation pointing out that a letter he received from the National Pilgrims Committee recommended that she be so commended for her outstanding performance. He said he had directed the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr. Babatunde Balogun to write the letter of commendation which he will personally sign.

He said the remarks and commendations of the Senate President, Senator David mark which the Commissioner quoted at the occasion concerning the excellent performance of the State Governor, was actually not to him as a person but to the committee which organized and carried out the exercise.

Promising to expedite action on the report, Governor Fashola, who also recalled the excellent behaviour of another Lagos State Muslim Pilgrim who returned a huge sum of money to the Saudi Authorities declared, “It shows that something is moving in this State. It is not just the pilgrimage. People living in Europe and America are coming home. We are moving in the right direction”.

In his remarks before presenting the report, Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee, Rev. Wilson Badejo thanked Governor Fashola for his commitment to the exercise saying the work of the Committee was made a lot easier because of the welfare packages the State Government provided for the pilgrims.

According to the Chairman, “Everywhere the pilgrims visited, Your Excellency’s performances were applauded and opened unusual doors for the pilgrims throughout the exercise”.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr. Babatunde Balogun had quoted the remarks of the Senate President, Senator David Mark concerning the performance of the Governor. According to him, the Senate President who, he said acknowledged the contribution of the Governor, declared, “The Governor of Lagos State is not a Christian, yet he was the first in the country to organize this successful trip. We must not lose sight that this has shown the unity that exists in this country.

“The emphasis we place on faith regardless of denominations is very welcome. I like to congratulate Lagos State for this wonderful job as they have taken the lead. It is a clear indication of the success of Governor Fashola”.

Also at the occasion were the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, and some members of the State Executive Council, members of the Ad hoc Committee as well as other top government functionaries.