Ambode’s pilgrim’s progress By Sam Omatseye

The Lagos State government decided no trips to Mecca or Jerusalem on the tax payer’s purse. It was striking it happened in Edo, Kaduna and a few other states. But for it to happen in Lagos is especially significant. Lagos, for one, embodies to two pilgrimages, unlike others. That made Akinwunmi Ambode’s move especially bold. Two, Lagos spends more than any other. For some pilgrims, it was both escape and escapade, not a real pious experience. Three, it affirms that pilgrimages are not compulsory in either faith. It is mentioned in Islam. It is not even suggested in the Bible. Four, the economy is stumbling, and it is no time for pious jamboree.

It does not make progress for any pilgrim to go. They often see it as pork for politician, and vanity for many others. It does not necessarily make them better Christians or Muslims. John Bunyan wrote an allegory titled Pilgrim’s Progress, and it tracks a man’s hard and exacting journey through sin and redemption. This is the time for a true pilgrim’s progress. Let individuals who must go toil to afford it and appreciate it like Bunyan’s protagonist.