The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) is poised to commence the 2021 pilgrimage to Israel, Jordan and Rome in the first quarter 2022.
NCPC Executive Secretary, Rev. Yakubu Pam, who announced this at a media parley in Abuja, said the Commission would ensure that the 2021 main pilgrimage exercise would experience a hitch free operation.
Pam said that the 2020 maiden pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Jordan was a huge success in spite of the fact that the exercise took place at the peak of the global pandemic.
He was particularly enthused that the pilgrimage recorded Zero abscondment of pilgrims, a feat that had not been feasible in our pilgrimage experience of about a decade.
Pam posited that because of the huge success recorded in Jordan pilgrimage, countries like Israel and Turkey are now eager to work with the Commission which is a healthy development for the growth of our Christian Pilgrimage.
The NCPC boss further explained that the 2021 pilgrimage exercise would start from Israel to Jordan while the Rome package will start from Rome to Israel, adding that the Commission would make every effort to raise as much as 10,000 intending pilgrims for the 2021 main pilgrimage.
Pam also said that the Commission as part of its preparation for the 2021 pilgrimage, would embark on the State of Readiness visit to Israel with the State pilgrimage Leaders by the end of January, 2022.
He further explained that the visit would afford them the opportunity to inspect the hotels as well as the Holy Sites in Israel.
A statement by the Head of Media and Public Relations of the NCPC, Mr. Celestine Toruka, quoted the NCPC boss as having said that the Commission would ensure that it meets with the requirements of international travels in line with the guidelines of the Federal Government and the Israeli authorities on COVID-19 protocols.
To this end, he intimated that the Commission had embarked on the administration of the COVID-19 booster doses for staff who had taken the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine which would be extended to the intending pilgrims in the states.
Pam said that the Commission has selected members of the Federal Medical team for the 2021 main pilgrimage adding that they would be able to render effective medical care for pilgrims during the pilgrimage.
