Give your dollars to Hajj pilgrims – Ezekwesili tells Senate

A former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has called out the Nigerian Senate for directing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to supply dollars at a subsidised exchange rate of N200 to intending pilgrims.

In a series of tweets on her verified Tweeter handle on Saturday morning, @obyezeks, the Bring Back our Girls (BBOG) co-Convener, lashed out at the lawmakers describing them as “feeling entitled to an indulgent life”.

The Senate had in its bid to bring down the cost of pilgrimage recommended the concession of N200 to $1 by the CBN to intending pilgrims, despite the CBN’s benchmark of N305 to $1 for the 2017 Hajj operations.

While stating that religious pilgrimage is desirable, Ezekwesili, however, noted that such venture should not be subsidised because it is a luxury consumption in a country like Nigeria where 50 per cent are in poverty bracket.

The former minister, who also mentioned the Senate’s handle @NGRSenate in the tweets, however, commended the CBN for rejecting the directive of the upper chamber, adding that the apex bank’s reaction is impressive.

The tweets read: “@obyezeks: No matter what they call us, our Executive, Legislature & Judiciary shall ALWAYS be called out for BAD BEHAVIOR”

“@obyezeks: Economy lies prostrate &all that a country’s Lawmakers could think of is to SUBSIDIZE $$ 4 their often elite-generated list of pilgrims”

“@obyezeks: We DO NEED the @nassnigeria but not the kind that is so SELF-ABSORBED & feeling ENTITLED to an indulgent life. #TrueService”

“@obyezeks: If WE had serious .@NGRSenate should they not be focused on how a country that earned over $690B in a decade+ years has Forex problems? ✍🏾”

“@obyezeks: They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Isaiah1v23”

“@obyezeks: Typically our .@NGRSenate goes into “transaction mode” with things of God. God is of course not fooled. Give YOUR OWN $$$s to the pilgrims.”

“@obyezeks: “One is @least impressed at @cenbank of today’s response to an opportunity to DISTORT forex policy. Well done 👍. Imagine it was ALWAYS so”

@obyezeks: The default pricing policy mode of sensible policymakers is that ANY PRODUCT or SERVICE that borders on Luxury should get ZERO subsidy.”

“@obyezeks: It is a great thing to desire a Religious Pilgrimage. Such consumption is however Luxury in a country of 50% in poverty bracket. #NoSubsidy!”

“@obyezeks: No matter how much we call them out, better know that the .@NGRSenate will NEVER respond. They prefer to call us names while eating SUYA.👎🏾”

“@obyezeks: Of all the brilliant ways they could help enhance Monetary Policy in the Land, what .@NGRSenate has chosen is to DISTORT forex policy more”

Today.ng