Abstract:
This paper examines the economic role played by the State Pilgrims Welfare Board (SPWB), the body responsible with the management of Hajj affairs at the state level. The paper first highlights the establishment of Hajj tradition among the Empire of Kanem-Borno, Hausa states and Sokoto caliphate prior to colonial domination of what became Nigeria. Despite the centrality of pilgrimage administration to state-religion relations and public finance in northern Nigeria, the economic dimensions of Hajj management, particularly the role of the State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards remain largely underexplored in existing scholarship. Most studies on the Hajj in Nigeria have focused on its religious, administrative, or diplomatic aspects, with limited attention paid to its historical economic implications. This paper addresses this gap by examining the economic role of the State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, the statutory institutions responsible for managing Hajj affairs at the state level. The paper argues that the establishment of SPWBs marked a significant turning point in the political economy of pilgrimage, generating measurable economic outcomes such as increased state revenue, the construction of Hajj transit camps, markets, and airport facilities, as well as the emergence and expansion of indigenous airline services. It concludes that the institutionalization of Hajj administration across Nigerian states has produced substantial economic benefits for state governments, pilgrimage-related entrepreneurs, and the wider public. Methodologically, the study draws on both primary and secondary sources to offer a historical analysis that contributes to the understudied economic history of pilgrimage administration in Nigeria.
Keywords: Hajj, Economy, Pilgrim, Welfare, Board
DOI: 10.36349/sokotojh.2026.v14i01.007
author/Aliyu Yakubu Yahaya, Idris Bello & Mustapha Usman
journal/Sokoto JH | Vol. 14, Issue 1 | Dec. 2026
