Abuja – The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) has achieved a 30 per cent reduction in fare, and promised to overhaul the 15-year-old old pilgrimage process.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Rev. Tor Uja said this during the launch of the 2016 Youth/Family Pilgrimage at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Monday.
He said that the commission would not relent at meeting with stakeholders, including air carriers and ground handlers, to bargain for further reduction of the pilgrimage fare.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Uja had once said that the commission would try to make the pilgrimage cheaper for
intending pilgrims.
“We have already reduced the cost by 30 per cent and we intend to reduce it further.
“We have been meeting with all our stakeholders, including air carriers and ground handlers; we are not only negotiating, but we are firm that all the costs must come down.
“We do not want a burden, either on individuals or the government; we want it to be cheaper for anybody who wants to embark on pilgrimage to do so without struggle,’’ he said.
He, however, explained that the 2016 pilgrimage was divided into three categories, namely: the youth; the family and the Support a Pilgrim to Israel (SAPTI).
“We put the three categories all together, so that we will save time and cost.
“We have set out to ensure cost reduction; it is a deliberate programme to ensure that so many Christians partake in pilgrimage every year.
“We call this an exploratory pilgrimage because I will follow the pilgrims in every step they take during the exercise; I want to join my team to study the roots and operations,” he said.
The executive secretary said he had observed that the pilgrimage process was due for overhauling, in the sense that some innovations would be introduced and more would be done in holistic bases.
“The process is due for major overhauling. For 15 years, we have been doing the same thing over and over again and to the Israelis, it doesn’t make meaning to them anymore.
“We intend to overhaul on a holistic bases; every Nigerian pilgrim going on pilgrimage must wear the Nigerian national colour.
“We have told the ground handlers that we don’t want them doing souvenirs that will carry all kinds of company’s names and logos.
“If they are going to give us shirts or caps, they must carry the Nigerian colour and they must carry the name of Nigeria on it, otherwise nobody will use them.
“We are paying for pilgrimage and we are paying in Nigerian currency, therefore, our country should be put on a proper pedestal,’’ said Uja. (NAN)