By: Lateefhat Fatai

Pilgrims from Ogun, who are presently performing Hajj in Saudi Arabia, have appreciated the state government for ensuring that their Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) was fully paid.

It would be recalled that Governor Dapo Abiodun recently paid the differential in BTA for all state Muslim pilgrims and ensured that they received $500 as initially agreed, instead of $415 as BTA, due to change in the official exchange rate.

A cross-section of pilgrims interviewed expressed delight and appreciation for the swift intervention by the state government from what could have negatively affected their welfare.

One of the pilgrims, Alhaji Abdulfatai Sokunbi, described the move by the governor as exemplary, saying, "I did not expect that the governor would come to our rescue at this point because we are already in Mecca. It was something he might have termed a financial burden and not his concern. But this shows that he is a compassionate governor. May Allah reward him".

Another pilgrim, Fadeke Sulaimon, expressed her gratitude to the state government for the benevolent gesture, noting that the governor's intervention was unprecedented. 

She mentioned that the BTA issue had caused subtle upheavals among pilgrims from other states but praised Ogun State officials for promptly updating their pilgrims about the governor's kind gesture.

On his part, Hamzat Trimisiu, who described the governor as a man of the people, noted that many pilgrims were dismayed by the news of their reduced BTA, adding that only God could reward the governor for his concern for the welfare of his people on pilgrimage.

Having spent sometime in Medina praying in Prophet Mohammed's Mosque, a total of 934 pilgrims from the state are now in Mecca to commence the Hajj rites.