The Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) will begin airlifting 10,000 Christians who registered for this year’s pilgrimage to Jordan starting on December 22.
Each pilgrim paid N3 million, totaling N30 billion for the Nigerian group.
NCPC Executive Secretary Bishop Stephen Adegbite confirmed this in a text message. He stated, “There are 10,000 pilgrims for now. Each pilgrim paid N3 million. The pilgrimage is for 10 days.”
Adegbite mentioned that the pilgrims will visit both Jordan and Turkey.
This December pilgrimage is the first in 2024, following previous delays.
He also noted that the President’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, will not lead the pilgrims as previously planned.
In November, NCPC’s Deputy Director and Head of Media and Public Relations, Celestine Toruka, announced that the airlift of intending pilgrims would commence on December 22, 2024.
The commission had faced delays this year, including the cancellation of the Easter pilgrimage in March. The NCPC had assured stakeholders in April that the pilgrimage would start in June, citing Israel’s safety as a destination.
However, in May, the cost of the Easter pilgrimage was increased from N3 million to N4.8 million, with no official start date provided.
Despite these challenges, Adegbite reiterated in October that the pilgrimage would take place before the end of the year, emphasizing that the main pilgrimage usually runs from November to January.
Now, the NCPC has confirmed that 10,000 pilgrims will participate in the December pilgrimage, each paying N3 million, with a total of N30 billion collected. The pilgrims will spend 10 days visiting sites in Jordan and Turkey before returning to Nigeria.