Christian Pilgrim: Stakeholders reach decision on May dateline

Arrangements to airlift Christian Pilgrims to the Holy Land to perform the 2020/2021 pilgrimage are nearing conclusions as stakeholders looks on May, 2021.

The decision was reached after an emergency meeting of Conference of States held at the Conference Hall of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission, NCPC, in Abuja, Thursday, 22 April, 2021.

Special Assistant Media and Public Relations to the Executive Secretary NCPC Hon. Pam Ayuba in a press statement signed and issued on Thursday said the meeting, also held via zoom had in attendance majority of the Executive Secretaries and Board Chairmen of States’ Christian Pilgrim Welfare Boards, SCPWBS including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The statement said the meeting was convened to review the state of readiness of the commission on this year’s possible pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Jordan.

The meeting is also coming shortly after a recent trip undertook by the commission to the Kingdom of Jordan on exploration of Holy sites led by the Executive Secretary (ES), Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam.

Speaking at the meeting Executive Secretary Rev. Dr Yakubu Pam called on attendees to discuss frankly and come up with decisions that shall restore the confidence of Christians and especially those intended Pilgrims who had paid their fares to perform last year’s pilgrimage, but couldn’t following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown worldwide.

He assured them that all decisions that shall be reached will be communicated to the federal government, promising to backup with an official letter to all State Governors to appeal to them to support whatever decision to be taken.

At the meeting, far reaching decisions and affirmative actions were considered and taken as stakeholders resolved to include for the first time in its history the Kingdom of Jordan alongside Israel known to host many old Testament biblical sites where Moses led the children of Israel out from Egypt to the Promised Land.

Chairman of the Conference of States and the Taraba State Chairman of CPWB, Rev. Isaiah Magaji who read the position of the Conference applauded the initiatives of the ES and pledged cooperation in this direction.

Among the decisions reached, Rev. Magaji noted were the importance of Jordan to the Christian faith noting it as an important era during the sojourn of Israelites in Egypt and their subsequent Exodus to Canaan enroute most parts of Jordan like ‘The River Zarqa’ believed to link the biblical River Jabbok where Jacob was said to have crossed on his way to Canaan.

Other critical sites explored on the visit were Ammon- Madaba where according to history the Byzantine mosaics excavation were seen including the famous Madaba Map showing the Holy Land.

Also, Mount Nebo where Moses stood to see the Promised Land shortly before he died as decreed by God. There is also the baptismal site where Jesus was baptised at the River Jordan and where He healed the two mad men of evil casting the devil out of them into herd of pigs in Umm Qais.