There is no doubt that the conduct of the 2016 Christian pilgrimage exercise in Adamawa state has continued to generate mixed reactions among Christians in the state. The exercise which by all purpose and intentions began on a sound footing with the potential of becoming a landmark pilgrimage exercise in Adamawa state and Nigeria, is now witnessing some hitches that is worth the attention of all concerned stakeholders. As it stands today, sadly, only two batches out of the four batches have so far performed the exercise and even at that, Personal Travelling Allowances (PTA) of the second batch is yet to be paid. What exactly is happening? What is the true narrative of what transpired in the 2016 exercise so far? Who is to blame? Who among the stakeholders in christian pilgrimage in the state is the “baby” that must be kept and who is the “bath water” that has become dirty and needs to be thrown away in order to conclude the 2016 exercise and to have a hitch-free exercise next time?
The success of Christian pilgrimage in Adamawa state depends on synergy between the Adamawa State Christian pilgrims welfare board and numerous stakeholders which includes Nigerian Christian pilgrims Commission (NCPC), the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Security agencies like the DSS, NSCDC, Intelligence Bureau at state and zonal levels(SIB,ZIB), the Nigerian Immigration service(NIS), Nigerian Customs Service(NCS) and of course the sponsor, which as it stands today, is the Adamawa state government and the 21 local government areas of the state as represented by the state ministry for local government and chieftaincy affairs. These are the stakeholders which determine how hitch-free any pilgrimage exercise will be. It is therefore natural to probe the role of these stakeholders where any pilgrimage exercise is seen to be at a state like the one the 2016 exercise has been forced into.
Adamawa state Christian pilgrims welfare board is the gateway between the intending pilgrim in Adamawa state and the Christian Holy land of Israel,Rome/Greece. The board has the responsibility of providing intending pilgrims with the requisite information regarding pilgrimage as well as assist In procuring all the relevant travel documents and immigration requirements. The board bears full responsibility for the welfare of pilgrims while in the Holy land and this includes transportation, accommodation, medical as well as security needs.
As a matter of objective analysis, the 2016 pilgrimage in Adamawa state can be said to have commenced on a promising note going by the glaring evidence of water-tight arrangements put in place by the board to ensure a successful exercise. From the screening to the orientation stages, the exercise was smooth despite the increase in number of intending pilgrims from the traditional conservative figure of far less than 500 pilgrims to a remarkable thousand and five hundred pilgrims. It is true that this is the highest figure ever recorded in Christian pilgrimage by a state. However, all security agencies and their sister agencies concerned with the screening of the intending pilgrims performed their roles creditably well. It is a fact well acknowledge that the screening exercise was a huge success and gave hope for a hitch-free pilgrimage exercise.
It is worth noting that the 2016 exercise was initially proposed to accommodate only four hundred and thirty-eight(438) pilgrims. The increase in the number was evidently to capture all interests in the state particularly as it should be under a truly democratic setting. This increase in figure brought with it challenges as much as it brought accolades and widespread commendation to the government of Umaru Jibrilla Bindow who by this act has demonstrated a Christian-friendly disposition in such an unprecedented manner.
As part of its preparation for the exercise, the state pilgrims board formed committees and subsub-committees to help ensure that each and every stage of the exercise was successful. Going by the mandate of these committees and sub-committees which ranged between security, medical, transport, feeding and accomodations to even guides and preachers, it can be deduced that the board had the 2016 exercise well planned and prepared for. Little wonder that in all the two batches that have so far performed the exercise, there is no single report of any pilgrim who faced welfare challenge while in the Holy land. Infact, if the exercise by the two 2016 batches is to be used to assess the performance of the board in the conduct of pilgrimage, even conservative rating will rate the board high. Even the additional Agricultural component of the pilgrimage which is a pilot component went so smooth and sucessful that the state government has since began to see the dividend of the exercise as the federal government has since shown its desire to engage the beneficiaries of the training. In fact, investors too have since followed the training up with a visit to the state where they held talks with Governor Umaru Jibrilla Bindow. It is obvious that the current leadership of the board under Dr. Jinga Mayo as Executive secretary has brought in ingenuity that will be of long-lasting benefit to the beneficiaries, the State and country in general. It is on record also, that contrary to the traditional practice of flagging-off Christian pilgrimage exercise for the entire country in Abuja the FCT, that of 2016 was done on the 24th day of November at the International Airport here in Yola, Adamawa state. Indeed, the board under Dr. Jinga has made history in the conduct of Christian pilgrimage in Nigeria.
It is so unfortunate that it is inherent in human nature to rather see a cup as half-empty instead of half-full. Otherwise, the board deserve commendation and support in its preparation and handling of the 2016 exercise.
As a matter of fact, apart from the PTA issue and the inability to air-lift the remaining two batches of the intending pilgrims which of course is linked to shortage of funds from the major financier of pilgrimage, the only hitch encountered can be traced to poor liaison between the board and the NCPC.
The first hitch in the series between the board and NCPC started when the official flag off ceremony had to be shifted from 17th to 24th November 2016 due to delay in securing visa by the Nigerian Christian pilgrims Commission (NCPC). Why will securing visa suddenly become a challenge for the NCPC?
Next, was how deliberately or by error the NCPC zonal office of the North East issued multiple tickets to pilgrims and non-pilgrims. Why?
The NCPC also refused the board from choosing its ground handlers despite the board having met and had agreements with a ground handler.
The next came when the scheduled batches of the pilgrims as prepared and sent to NCPC by the board as part of the board’s responsibility of ensuring a hitch-free exercise based on batches was not what came from the NCPC. I can recall vividly how so many intending pilgrims including prominent figures went to the airport in full kit only to discover that their names were not on the batch that was to be airlifted.The NCPC was said to have refused to accept the schedule of the board. Whose responsibility is it to schedule its pilgrims’ departure apart from the board? It later became known that the sabotage of the board’s effort by the NCPC was abetted by a saboteur from within the board.
Well, the fact that the saboteur has since been deployed to his mother office and replaced by another person is evidence that the board has identified its problems and is serious to right any wrong.
However, the board is yet to get over the effect of that sabotage since as it appears, the perceived “poor” handling has created a dicey condition for those who are opposed to the progress and successes recorded by the current leadership of the board, to discredit it. These anti-progress elements have since taken to scheming ways of frustrating the release of funds that would have enabled the board to off-set the outstanding PTA owed the second batch and possibly round-off the 2016 exercise. It is rather sad that as the PTA remain unpaid and the 2016 pilgrimage remain inconclusive, the laudable achievements of the board under Dr. Jinga Mayo, which should earn him greater honor and recommendation for greater responsibility in a grateful society is not brought to the fore in public discourse for appreciation but the issue of unpaid PTA and inconclusive 2016 exercise.
Truthfully, there was never a better Adamawa state pilgrims welfare board than what it currently is and is doing.
The score-card of the board under Dr. Jinga Lucius Mayo as at last count includes: construction of a new administrative block with a 50 sitting capacity conference hall storey building which is 90% near completion; replacement of the barbed wire fencing of the premises of the board with a brick wall; Drilling of an industrial borehole in the premises of the board; repairs of the two(2) out of the four (4) grounded vehicles which are now been used in the board; repair of all the air conditions in the board;purchase of a projector, video camera, still camera, public address system, a giant color printer and photocopier as well as a brand new HP computer with an external storage. These are achievements recorded in less than one year in office. Undoubtedly, Dr. Jinga Lucius Mayo deserve all the needed support to succeed. All stakeholders including the NCPC must check the conduct of its officers so that their personal interests does not influence their official conduct again. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also has a role to play in the much needed role of supporting the board under Dr. Jinga Mayo to succeed.
While any reasonable appreciation of an appointee of the state government is a direct appreciation too of the Governor, i deem it fit to, in the clearest terms, commend the Executive Governor of Adamawa state, Umaru Jibrilla Bindow for putting Dr. Jinga:a round peg in a round whole. I wish to also thank the Governor for all the support given so far that has enabled the achievements recorded under Dr. Jinga. It is my earnest believe that the Governor will enable the board to conclude on the 2016 pilgrimage.
The office of the Hon. Commissioner in the ministry for local government and chieftaincy affairs which supports the board by serving as the interface between the board and the local government areas also deserve commendation. It is hoped that the ministry will disregard all bad eggs who are bent on frustrating the release of out-standing funds by the ministry to the board. These disgruntled elements are self-seeking and selfishly motivated. The funds when released, will enable the board to clear the PTA issue and take its rightful glory in the conduct of the 2016 pilgrimage exercise. It is not difficult to understand that anyone who is bent on frustrating any good initiative or performance and success of any appointee of the Governor is equally against the Governor as well as the progress of Adamawa state. If the board succeeds on the 2016 pilgrimage exercise just the way it has done in other areas of administration in the board, the credit goes to the entire administration of Governor Umaru Jibrilla Bindow.
May the Government of Governor Umaru Jibrilla Bindow continue to succeed.
