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NCPC to introduce pilgrimage exercises two times a year
Written by ’Wale Olapade, Reporting from Israel Tuesday, 31 January 2012
THE Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) has resolved to introduce two pilgrimage exercises in a year.
The Executive Secretary of the NCPC, Mr John Kennedy Opara, made this known recently in Israel while briefing members of the Federal Government delegation to Israel, led by the Senate Committee Chairman on Foreign Affairs, Senator Mathew Nwagwu, who were in Israel as part of their oversight functions to assess the pilgrimage operation for the 2011 Christian Pilgrimage.
The NCPC helmsman disclosed that the two pilgrimage operations in one year would be during Easter and October of the same calendar year.
He affirmed that the NCPC board was still working on the proposal, which would be forwarded to the president for consideration and approval.
He explained that the innovation would afford intending pilgrims the opportunity of choosing when to go on pilgrimage and also enable them to plan well ahead of time.
He added that it would equally pave way for most states to be accommodated, in case they could not meet up with the NCPC’s requirement for one reason or the other.
Opara told the senators that the commission was able to introduce local content in the pilgrimage exercise as two local tour operators were used in the 2011 pilgrimage exercise.
He hinted that the commission successfully commenced operations to greece from the 2011 pilgrimage.
Opara disclosed that the NCPC received about 2,000 applicatiions for visas to Rome and Greece and they were granted.
Accordingto him, “there was no case of abscondment of pigrims from Rome and Greece.”
He explained that about 92 rotation flights had been recorded since the pilgrimage operatioin commenced on November 5, 2011.
The NCPC boss stressed the need to bring robust spiritual content into the pilgrimage operation.
“The emphasis from the commission is to bring spirituality into it,” he said.
The briefing at the Nigerian Embassy in Tel-Aviv was graced by all the Federal Honourable Commissioners on PCPC board led by the Chairman of the Board and Primate of All Nigerian Aglican Communion, His Grace, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh.
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