It is time for Nigeria to cash in on the economic potential of Sallah 

By Ayo Akinfe 

(1) First of all Barka De Sallah to all my Muslim friends. Sadly, those of us in diaspora do not get to enjoy the delicacies of roast meat and traditional Nigerian cuisine as is the tradition back home. Even the Nigerian Muslims in the UK do not organise a national sallah treat for us. We shall have to take them up on that soon

(2) Do you know that Nigeria has the fifth largest Muslim population in the world behind Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh? Is it not telling that none of the big five are Arab nations, yet the Arabs dictate the agenda when it comes to practising Islam. Equality, we have the sixth largest number of Christians in the world behind the US, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and The Philippines but alas, Israel and the Vatican make all the cash 

(3) There are 90m Muslims in Nigeria and probably about another 50m across West Africa. This is a captive market and I am surprised nobody has thought of cashing in on it. Sallah should be a period when Nigeria generates millions 

(4) We may have got some inspiration this year, however, as in Nigeria, the president of Guinea, Professor Alpha Conde, arrived in Katsina State yesterday and he is set to celebrate the Sallah with his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari. Among other things, Professor Conde is to be conferred with a traditional title in Daura where he will attend a durbar

(5) Can someone please explain to me why there is no annual pilgrimage to say Usman Dan Fodio’s tomb every Sallah to turn Nigeria into a major tourist hub once a year? We should have our own equivalent of hajj, attracting African Muslims to Sokoto. It should also be an opportunity to raise Islamic finance through the sale of Sukuk bonds 

(6) If we had such an annual pilgrimage, Sokoto State would probably be wholly self sufficient. Saudi Arabia generates about $16bn from pilgrimages and I fail to see why we cannot match that. Just imagine Sokoto State raising $16bn in internally generated revenue 

(7) Hajj packages to Saudi Arabia vary by country. In the UK, they average around £4,750 whereas for umrah the equivalent figure is £1,050. The average profitability for operators in the UK is £100 to £200 per pilgrim. I want to see that kind of cash in the Nigerian economy 

(8) Typical of Nigeria, we only see the religious side of faith and fail to cash in on its economic potential. In contrast, in Indonesia, there is a government parastatal called the Haj Fund Management Agency handles which holds deposits on behalf of future pilgrims, who may wait 30 years or more for a hajj visa. These deposits are held in a fund used to help subsidise poorer pilgrims. In Malaysia, they have gone one step further by investing money in their own fund on the stock market and as of 2017, Tabung Haji, the Malaysian Pilgrims Fund, had assets of $18.3bn

(9) Experience from Saudi Arabia has also shown that opening the country up to outsiders has reduced intolerance, Islamic extremism and narrow minded bigotry. When hardline Islamists meet liberal Muslims from say Malaysia, Turkey and Indonesia, they learn to be more tolerant 

(10) Also, very key is the fact that Saudi Arabia has built up unbelievable infrastructure around the pilgrimage industry. Skyscrapers, five start hotels, world class restaurants, universities, airlines, airports, research institutes. etc, have all sprung up in Mecca and Medina. Maybe if our Muslim youths see this, Boko Haram will stop being such an attraction to them

 

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