Arewa Times

……challenges Adamawa CAN chairman on corruption allegations

The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, Reverend Yakubu Pam, on Saturday debunked claims that the NCPC has suspended the 2022 pilgrimage.

Pam also challenged the Chairman of the Adamawa State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop Steven Dami Manzo over the corruption allegations he levelled against him.

NCPC Board Chairman, Rev Yomi Kasali had recently announced the suspension of all activities related to this year’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem while Bishop Manzo had accused the NCPC executive secretary of financial misappropriation.

Reacting during a news programme on TVC on Saturday evening, the NCPC boss said as the chief accounting officer of the commission, nobody had suspended the 2022 pilgrimage.

He said there was no time that the NCPC management or Board held any meeting to take a decision to suspend this year’s pilgrimage, which had already commenced and was still ongoing.

Pam clarified that due to some logistics problems encountered in the course of the pilgrimage, the Board of the Commission met in November and resolved that the commission would not continue with the airlifting of the pilgrims from the states that had paid to Israel for the November-December exercise.

He added that discontinuing the airlifting of intending pilgrims does not amount to and should not be misconstrued as a suspension of the entire pilgrimage activities.

Pam further stated that suspending pilgrimage was a cumbersome process which the Commission could not unilaterally take a decision on as its supervisory body must inform the President through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the National Assembly.

He added that the Commission’s customers, which are the state governments that have paid and the private tour operators could also drag NCPC to court if it decided to take any decision to suspend the pilgrimage.

Pam said, “Because of the logistics problems we faced, we said we should not continue with airlifting, not suspending pilgrimage activities. Suspension means that everything is locked down.

“Before you make a statement on anything suspension, you must write our supervisory body and tell them that we’re suspending activities. You’ll also have to, which is through the office of the SGF, to inform Mr President that everything in the commission is suspended. You must also write the National Assembly and our customers because they have the right to take us to court as a lot of them have paid us to travel.

“But when we say airlifting is suspended, it means other activities are going on and what are other activities? Today, we have over 12 states that have already paid to travel and we’re conducting what we call screening to make sure we have those who are certified to travel, by health, and those that we feel may not abscond. This is what is going on and is part of the pilgrimage activities and just within three weeks or two weeks ago, we have more than four states that have already paid.

“And we have private sector tour organisations which registered with us and they have the licence to carry people to Israel and bring them back but through us because we also screen them and we are in charge of the visas. Until we write the authorities and Government of Israel to give them visas, they will not have visas. And right now as I’m talking, we have over a hundred of them in Israel. So, if there is suspension of pilgrimage activities, why are people in Israel? Why are people in Jordan?”

Pam also said there was no controversy about the N1.5millon paid by intending pilgrims, adding that the commission held a meeting with its private customers and the states in September where the fee was agreed upon.

“As I said, about 12 states have already paid. We start with that first before you go into procurement and then you award the contract to the contractors that will carry the people by the airlines and then the ground handlers who are there in Israel,” he said.

On the corruption allegations leveled against him by the Adamawa State CAN chairman, the NCPC boss said anyone with any proof of graft against should present his evidence to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which is the supervisory body rather than making wild and unfounded allegations in the media.

“I’m here as the chief accounting officer of the commission to say that there is no suspension of pilgrimage anywhere. If somebody mentions corruption at NCPC, there is a way you can bring it up – bring evidence of the money and whatever it is, there is EFCC or you can take it to those who supervise us. You can come to the media level corruption allegations,” Pam said.

By Rejoice H. Stevens

The Kaduna state labour party (lP) gubernatorial candidate, Hon.Jonathan Asake has promised to create an economic alternative in reducing the dependent for oil generated revenue in the state.
He made the promised during a media parley organised by the Nigeria Union of journalist Kaduna state council, which recently held at the Union secretariat in Kaduna.
According to the gubernatorial candidate the “each of our 23 local government areas in the state have endowed with either natural and human resources, promised to explored and utilized the available resources in providing with social amenities and infrastructural development in various local government areas.
He however promised to priotise insecurity dwelling the state as important, if elected as the governor, ” why because;security and welfare of citizens are the primary purpose of government.”
“our party slogan is to secure Kaduna restored all the farmland deserted, also we will make sure that introduced strategies to our security personnel’s in fighting the menace of banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping.”
Hon Asake also mentioned inclusive economic, infrastructural development, youth and women empowerment, education and health as his party agendas in securing the state economic and promoting conducive environment and well being of citizens.
The former SOKAPU president also promised to provide more then 35% for women involvement in his cabinet, and also allocate and appoint them to various to managed the state resources in the state ministries and parastatals if elected.

… Channel your grievances to the state Pilgrims board, NCPC tells Dami

In a swift reaction to dissociates itself from the alleged misconduct leveled against the Nigeria Christians Pilgrimage commission (NCPC) by Bishop Steven Dami Mamza, a Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese and the Adamawa Christian Association of Nigeria Chairman.

The Commission issued a press statement dissociated all allegations raised by Dami through its Deputy Director/Head of Media and public relations, Celestine Toruka calling on Dami Mamza to channel his grievances to the Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board who handled all aspects of the Rome pilgrimage except visas.

NCPC in reply they exonerated the Executive Secretary, Rev Pam Yakubu by putting the record straight that Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board wanted to airlift intending pilgrims to Rome in November last year without recourse to NCPC.

“NCPC insisted that the board had no such powers to airlift such number of intending pilgrims to Rome because it is only the Commission through its establishment Act of 2007 is mandated to coordinate and superintend all Christian pilgrimage activities by supervising the movement of Christians to the Holy sites around the world.

“This was put to rest following the intervention of the Governor of Adamawa State, His Excellency Ahmadu Fintiri and both the Secretary of the State Government and the Chief of Staff who pleaded that NCPC should help the board to procure visas to the intending Adamawa pilgrims.

“This presupposes that all ground handling issues and flight arrangements for the pilgrims had been concluded before recourse to NCPC.

“I want to reiterate that NCPC only intervened because of the need to properly carry out extreme vetting on the intending pilgrims for the purpose of securing visas.

“The Commission was never part of any logistics arrangements for Adamawa pilgrims. It is therefore surprising that the respected Catholic Bishop of Yola Dioceses, His Grace, Bishop Mamza is accusing the Commission of gross misconduct and corruption even though he knows that the Commission was only called to save the Adamawa Rome pilgrimage trip from collapse.

“It is even strange that the Chairman of the State Chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN is the one talking about pilgrimage exercise, the Commission does not deal with CAN State Chapter rather it deals with the State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Boards. This is an aberration except there is an ulterior motif behind it.

“The Adamawa Rome Pilgrimage took place between 23rd -28th May, 2022 and a formal report was submitted to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, our supervising body.

“How can a pilgrimage that took place over five months ago become an issue of criticisms and alleged corruption?

“The Chairman of CAN Adamawa State should not usurp the functions of the Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board; let them speak for themselves as the facts and figures of that pilgrimage are intact.

“One would have expected that the Catholic Bishop would have channeled his concerns to the appropriate authorities rather than granting press conference.

“The fact remains that what the Commission did in the Adamawa Rome trip was a rescue and intervention Mission.” The statement read