The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Bishop Stephen Adegbite, on Sunday applauded President Bola Tinubu for making it possible for Christian pilgrims to embark on pilgrimage this year.
Adegbite said Tinubu is not a religious bigot, adding that whatever he has done for the Muslims has also been extended to Christians.
The NCPC boss, who made the assertion in Jerusalem during the end of the pilgrimage ceremony, noted that Tinubu is God sent and that he would fix Nigeria for better.
Adegbite assured that by the time Tinubu finishes, it would be clear that he was Godsent.
“Mr. President is not a religious bigot. Whatever he has done for the Muslims, he will do for the Christians. That’s exactly what he has done. He gave to Muslims to support pilgrimage; he has given to Christians to support pilgrimage.
He said: “People complained about Muslim -Muslim ticket, “see what Muslim – Muslim ticket has done; what Mr. President has done for the Christian community, no President since independence has done.
“He is going to fix Nigeria, whether the devil likes it or not. By the time he’s done, Nigerians will know that he’s Godsent”.
He also noted that Tinubu supported all pilgrims at half the cost of the pilgrimage.
Adebite said whatever anybody or the state government paid, the Federal Government under Tinubu’s watch paid half of the fund in support.
The NCPC described the First Lady, Sen. Remi Tinubu as a “pillar, the Esther of our time” who had been there for the Christians and prayerfully a woman who believed so much in the prosperity of all.
He charged the pilgrims not to look at the inconveniences or the challenge of money as that was not the main reason for being in the Holy Land. “What you have come to gain is the spirituality that you cannot quantify with money.”
In spite of complaints of paucity of funds, the NCPC explained the challenges with the Nigerian apex bank, the CBN but noted that it costs an average of ₦6.8 million to put a pilgrim on the Holy Land and that the government was doing so much in this regard.
Adegbite assured that the NCPC was committed to improving the standard of pilgrimage in spite of the challenges associated with it.
He said: “The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement, we will continue to improve to serve Nigeria better and we have decided in the Commission that people must be satisfied, so satisfaction is our watch word, the pilgrims, the ground handlers, the air carriers, the Commission and all stakeholders, that is the assignment Mr. President have given to us that we must not go for anything less than the best.”
Praying for Nigeria and Nigerians, the Bishop said: “I am speaking to Nigerians from the Holy Land, 2025 is your year of restoration, your year of total rejuvenation, spirituality, and your year of advancement. It shall be well with all of us, divinely, Nigeria will be positioned for greatness and the Lord will bless our president to reposition Nigeria and we are moving forward, forward ever for Nigeria and backward never for Nigerian. Shalom”.
He assured that the exercise, the 2023 – 2024 Christian pilgrimage which is taking place in 2025 would continue till May 2025.
The NCPC boss said it was put on hold because of the conflict that broke out earlier.
While speaking, the Nigerian Ambassador to Israel and Head of Mission, Nigerian Embassy in Tel – Aviv, Her Excellency, Ambassador Agatha Nonyelum hailed Nigerian pilgrims for their exemplary conduct in behavior and character, as well as recording zero abscondment while in the Holy Land.
Nonyelum said: “Thank you for conducting yourselves very well. From what I observe in the first batch and this one, it seems the NCPC is selecting the very best in character for pilgrimage, there is zero abscondment. All the reports I am receiving are that all of you are conducting yourselves very well.”
The Ambassador also thanked Mr. President for allowing Nigerian pilgrims to perform the pilgrimage. She charged Nigerians to depend totally on God and that when one depends on God, He cannot disappoint.
She commended the Executive Secretary, NCPC, Bishop Stephen Adegbite for working so hard and prayed to God to renew his strength. “He travelled repeatedly to make sure we met with the authorities in Israel and for our own meetings. It takes a man that loves Nigeria to be this committed and tireless.”
She also commended the Nigerian First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her commitment to pilgrims’ affairs, “Pilgrimage is dear to her heart,” she noted.
Nonyelum charged pilgrims to pray for Nigeria.
She said: “We need prayers in our country”.
