The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rev. Uja Tor Uja has given new requirement for Christian pilgrimage saying that the ability to pay for the exercise is no longer a sufficient qualification to participate.
Uja made this known during the Expression of Interest (Bid Opening) for Air carriers and Ground Handlers for 2018 Christian Pilgrimage exercise recently in the Commission’s Corporate headquarters in Abuja.
Rev Uja further stressed that the Commission has decided that money, a guarantor, or interest to travel is no longer a sufficient qualification for someone to go on pilgrimage but a decision to return to Nigeria to make a contribution to the development of the country is now what qualifies a candidate to go on pilgrimage and to that effect, a lot of stringent measures have been put in place to make sure that abscondment becomes very difficult and a thing of the past.
According to him, “We have introduced what we call extreme vetting and also a four step process that ensures that anybody with a scar, no matter how little will not be allowed to go on pilgrimage. The extreme vetting begins especially with some of the states we call the redline states and known to have the highest propensity figures of abscondment in the past. For all those states, we say no to all your candidates until any candidate shows himself worthy of travelling by supplying a guarantee from the government or a high government official without which no matter the amount of money you have you, you will not travel.
He added that the Commission has introduced a compulsory orientation programme for all intending pilgrims before departure. This orientation programme is going to include a rescreening exercise to ensure that all those who passed through the net undesirably in the first screening will still be caught in the second, third screening and fourth part which will be an observation on arrival to Israel either at the hotel or at the airport. His words, “Anybody that gives a wrong impression about pilgrimage exercise will not be accepted and will be repatriated immediately.”
Speaking on the delay in pilgrimage exercise this year, The NCPC helmsman expressed his displeasure in delay of the Easter pilgrimage because of the Commission’s issues with visa procurement with the Israeli authorities. His words,” We have still not gotten visas for some persons out of about two thousand who have indicated interest to travel for the Easter pilgrimage; as soon as the visas are out we will travel”.
The women pilgrimage is also going to suffer a delay for about two to three weeks. It will soon take place as soon as the visas issues are concluded. Some of the issues are beyond NCPC as a commission as Israeli is also talking to Nigeria as a government, and not just to NCPC as a commission but with the Nigerian government.
In the assessment of the bid process, one of the ground handlers stated, Shadia Spour, General Manager, Tabar Tours, stated that the bidding was very transparent and commendable.
In the same vein, the Executive Director Atlasjet Nigeria Limited, Y. Serkan Yazicioglu, one of the air carriers, stated, “Our partnership with NCPC since 2011 has been fair and transparent enough and we commend NCPC for that.”
Four Air carriers and eight Ground Handlers participated in this first phase of the NCPC 2018 bid opening exercise which was witnessed by relevant observers from government, non-governmental as well as civil rights societies.
