The Secretary General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Professor Ish'aq Olanrewaju Oloyede, yesterday in Ilorin asked the Federal Government to wash its hands off in the operation of muslim pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He said the involvement of the government should not exceed consular services coupled with desirable legal support that would put an end to hitches recorded in the exercise.

Speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, Oloyede said hajj operation should be left to religious bodies to correct offensive impression in some sections of the society that the exercise was benefiting Islam unduly. He added that the religious organisations should be empowered and armed with requisite legal framework to carry out the operation on their own.

The ex vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin explained that Nigeria ought to be deriving certain benefits from the operation in terms of promoting trade and export services like its contemporaries across the globe, but seems looking the other way.

Alluding to last year's tragic incidence in Saudi Arabia where scores of pilgrims lost their lives and others wounded, Oloyede noted that there was a need to put in place a measure to avert the recurrence.

"We believe that the involvement of government beyond consular services, is unnecessary. What government should just do, is to provide the state support, leave hajj matters to religious bodies to organise on their own and give the proper legal framework. "Islam is not faring better by the involvement of government in hajj. Rather the involvement of hajj is a liability to Islam.

"But we have seen countries all over the world, that have used the medium of hajj to develop Islam within their jurisdictions. What is happening is that everybody thinks that hajj is a free for all. Indeed, the nation is not benefiting as it ought to be from hajj.

"Many countries seize opportunity of the hajj to promote trade and development of their countries by exporting certain things and even importing certain things or even signing agreement with other bodies for the development of their countries. That is not the case with Nigeria. It appears that everybody thinks hajj is about courting government patronage and just doing whatever you like.

"People have wrong impression that government spends money on hajj, sending people on pilgrimage. If government sends people on hajj, government knows the reason, not definitely for the development of Islam, may be as a bribe for doing one thing or the other. You know the quality of Muslim who takes bribe. He is not serving the cause of Islam.

"The position of NSCIA is clear. Government should not be involved in the running of pilgrimage", Oloyede said.