By Olanrewaju Ajao Federal Government has received the report of the 2014 Christian pilgrimage to Israel, Rome and Greece.
In the report submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan Monday in the State House, Abuja, it was stated that 12,890 pilgrims participated in the exercise while it recorded 45 percent self sponsorship rate.
The CAN President Ayo Oritsejafor, called for the adequate funding of the embassies of Nigeria in Rome, Greece and Tel Aviv to ease the exercise.
Oritsejafor said most of the pilgrims from the North were either sponsored by individuals or themselves.
The report also recommended that various governments both at the states and local levels be further encouraged to sponsor people of the Christian faith to the holy land, especially as the commission is using the pilgrimage as a tool for moral and spiritual transformation.
“That FG should continue to provide necessary support to the commission to further enhance its efficiency in giving services to the Christian community.
“That the Greece aspect of the pilgrimage be expanded to encourage greater participation in the programme,” Oritsejafor said.
The report also urged the FG to assist in developing the pilgrim camps which have been provided for the Christians at the major airports to alleviate the suffering of pilgrims.
Screening camps should be fully equipped with screening facilities to ensure “that no pilgrim leaves the shores of the country without being certified medically fit for the trip” Oritsejafor said reading from the report.
Due to the increase in self sponsorship, the report further recommend that the commission should encourage self sponsorship by way of rewarding those who have the highest number of people on their sponsorship list as well as those who pay the earliest. “We believe this will act as an encouragement to others to do the same”.
The team urged the President to institute the programme, ‘A Day With Jesus’ as an annual event where the President and other Nigerian Christian faithful converge in the Holy land to pray for the country.
Receiving the report, the President said he was pleased that there were no issues during the exercise stating that it was not an easy task to handle such a number of people.
He noted that some states were withdrawing from the sponsorship of pilgrims because of the economic implications. He added that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim, will look into the recommendations of the delegation and act accordingly.
The President therefore dissolved the 2014 federal government delegation to Israel, Greece and Rome stating that it will be reconstituted in due course.
