From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) has signed a contractual agreement with pilgrimage service providers for the 2025 pilgrimage exercise to Israel, Jordan, Rome, Greece, and Turkey at its corporate headquarters in Abuja.
Celestine Toruka, Deputy Director and Head of Media and Public Relations, NCPC, in a statement, indicated that the Executive Secretary of NCPC, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, signed the agreement with one air carrier and seven ground handlers who successfully passed the bidding and selection process.
Bishop Adegbite gave glory to God for the successful completion of the last pilgrimage exercise, which he said witnessed a total restoration in line with the theme “Pilgrimage of Renewed Hope for Total Restoration.”
He stressed the need for improvement and urged the service providers to ensure seamless coordination and organization of the pilgrimage exercise.
He disclosed that this year’s Easter pilgrimage exercise will commence in July, while the 2025 Main Pilgrimage will commence in November 2025 and last until February 2026.
Chairman of the Board of NCPC, Rt. Rev. Cletus Gotan, thanked the service providers for their service during the last pilgrimage exercise and expressed optimism that necessary steps would be taken to remove bottlenecks and avoid unnecessary mistakes.
He also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his support for Christian pilgrimage in Nigeria
The service providers commended the Executive Secretary and the Board of the Commission for the transparent and excellent conduct of the bidding and selection process and assured the Commission of their best service delivery.