Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Is this right?

To think that the same government that made it very difficult for
Nigerian parents to send money through legitimate means to their
children studying outside Nigeria is now lowering exchange rate for
those going for pilgrimage, indeed funding their religious excursion!
Unbelievable!
-- Obododimma.

On 8/7/16, Moses Ebe Ochonu <meochonu@gmail.com> wrote:
> My Facebook update from yesterday on this topic:
>
> Garba Shehu says the subsidized 197 Naira to the dollar approved for Muslim
> pilgrims is non-discriminatory since it was also approved for Christian
> pilgrims. These Buhari media people just don't get it. They don't
> understand that the outrage is about the flawed logic of singling out some
> tens of thousands of Nigerian pilgrims (Christians and Muslims), a small
> minority, and subsidizing their private religious journey with highly
> discounted, hard earned foreign currency that belongs to ALL Nigerians,
> including the over 170 million who will never go on any pilgrimage. Are you
> not discriminating against them?
>
> This insensitive and incompetent media team does not understand that, apart
> from the usual suspects whose criticism is motivated by narrow primordial
> considerations, the outrage is about government's financial subsidy on the
> performance of a private religious duty and not about who is getting the
> subsidy. Even if you extend the Forex subsidy to Ifa and other traditional
> pilgrims, it would still be wrong. You'd still be discriminating against
> more than 170 million Nigerians. Besides, isn't Nigeria experiencing dollar
> scarcity? Why then are we awarding this scarce currency to a select group
> of religious pilgrims? And did Buhari not tell Nigerians whose kids are
> studying abroad to withdraw them if they cannot afford to buy foreign
> exchange from the parallel market to pay their school fees? Nigeria
> befuddles.
>
> On Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 6:11 PM, Toyin Falola
> <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu>
> wrote:
>
>> Moderator's puzzle
>>
>> The policy to give concessionary dollar exchange rate to pilgrims does
>> not
>> seem to me to make economic sense.
>> And to those of us who think this way, it is not a religious argument.
>> Indeed, I can make the argument that spiritual needs are a necessity. And
>> to someone like me with many Muslim family members, it is not an
>> opposition
>> to an established practice. I am aware of the long-established
>> preferential
>> treatment for pilgrims, Muslims and Christians but the economic climate
>> and
>> diminished oil revenues call for a rethinking.
>>
>> It is a rational argument of state policy which calls for a conversation
>> on opportunity cost:
>>
>> What about support for industries and manufacturers who create jobs?
>> Foreign reserves?
>> Health issues?
>> Youth education and empowerment?
>> Payment of salaries?
>> Remittances of companies we owe?
>>
>> May be I am wrong!
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
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>
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--
--
B.A.,First Class Honours (English & Literary Studies);
M.A., Ph.D. (English Language);
M.Sc. (Legal, Criminological & Security Psychology);
Professor of Cultural Semiotics & Stylistics,
Department of English,
University of Ibadan.

Fellow,
Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies,
University of Ibadan.

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