The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, speaks to GIFT HABIB on the rising cost of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, among other issues
You recently assumed office as the fourth substantive Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission. What have been your experiences so far?
Just like any other individual in a new office or terrain, one has to acclimatise with what is happening and study handover notes to assess things one wants to improve upon and also appreciate the people that have been there before you such as Reverend John Opara, who did a marvellous job here and Rev. Tor Uja, who contributed his quota and the immediate past Executive Secretary, Reverend Yakubu Pam, who also contributed his quota. When a person comes in, he or she has unfinished tasks. One will do his or her beat and exit when it is time. I appreciate all these things they have done, and I have seen some areas of improvement. Improvement must be worked on and ensure that we bring pilgrimage to an enviable position in our nation.
Earlier this month, you said you would change the face of pilgrimage in Nigeria. How do you intend to achieve that?
Luckily for us, I come from a background related to pilgrimage for the past 23 years. I have been to the holy land 23 times. I have been involved in pilgrimage exercises since 1999 and while in Lagos, I never knew I would be in this position today. However, I see pilgrimage as a passion that is part of my existence. I am always happy going back to the holy land because when people go to Jerusalem, I usually tell them that it is neither for a jamboree nor for shopping but a spiritual journey. When you go into the scripture, it is mentioned that every nation will gather in Jerusalem to praise God and whoever seeks the peace of Jerusalem will also witness peace, joy, and progress in life.
In my first experience in Jerusalem in 1999/2000, I was paired with an elderly man in a room. He asked me to go take my breakfast and I told him that every Wednesday, I wait upon God which is stated in Isaiah 40:31, ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’
The elderly man said to me that there was a burden in his heart. He was slated for surgery. He asked me to pray for him which I did and when we returned to Nigeria, to our amazement, he was told that nothing was wrong with him, and that the surgery was no longer necessary. We were called Millennium Pilgrims back then. The man invited me to his church for testimony and thanksgiving. Since then, anytime I go to the holy land, I must come back with outstanding testimony concerning my ministry and the people around me.
So, we will let people know that it is no longer business as usual. It is now business unusual. We are going to ensure that pilgrimage is a spiritual journey and when pilgrims leave Nigeria, they are going for spiritual exercise with the Lord. If they have the opportunity to walk where Jesus Christ walked, where he was born, where he died, where he resurrected, and where he ascended, they will see that stories in the Bible are not fables. Some things took place at a point in time in the history of man and the pilgrim must experience something special before he or she returns. When they return, they will be honoured with the title, JP (Jerusalem Pilgrim).
Tell us more about the 2024 pilgrimage and what Nigerians should expect.
By the grace of God, we are going to follow due process. We must go for procurement and bidding. We must let people apply. Three local papers have done the advertisement for us, and the international advertisement is expected to be out soon. Once that is done, we will get the nod from the government that we can now go on pilgrimage. We will tell people in clear terms that nobody should joke about Nigeria’s pilgrimage. Whatever we ask you to do and you bridge the contract, you are in for it. We will not accept anything less than the best for our pilgrims. The interests of pilgrims must be protected, and we must make sure that we do not run afoul of the laws of our partners. Everybody must work in synergy.
Last year, the proposed cost to Rome and Greece was N3m. What is the price range for the 2024 pilgrimage?
We cannot fix the price range now because the dollar rate is fluctuating by seconds and not by minutes in our nation today. However, we will liaise with relevant government agencies and ensure that something is done to assist her people. As soon as these things are put in place, we can now fix the price of what people should pay to go to the holy land.
Is there any hope for future pilgrims considering the high cost of pilgrimage?
People will still go on pilgrimage. There is hope. The mission and vision of our administration are to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President, and for us, this year is our year of renewed hope and satisfaction. God will provide. He will take care of our people and our nation. We will live in plenty. What we are passing through is a phase and storms do not last. They will come and they must. We must let people know that what we are experiencing is not limited to this nation alone. There is a global economic recession, but many do not know about it. If you are privileged to leave the country, you will know that I am saying the gospel truth. I was in the United States of America last year and I travelled from New York to New Jersey which is about a 30-40-minute drive. However, I paid $180 for that trip. Can you tell me where I will go in Nigeria and any taxi driver (chartered) will tell me to give him N200,000?
If someone should tell me that Nigeria is the worst, it is not true. We know that people are passing through a lot but we are not the worst on the face of the earth. For us in Nigeria, because of our faith and belief, we will get out of it. President Tinubu has good intentions for this nation. He does not want anyone to suffer. Last year, there was a palliative measure released to people. Each governor was given N5bn to take care of their people. It was done in Lagos. I am the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, and I know the amount of food items that the Lagos State Government sent to us from the President through the governor, which we distributed to people.
During the Christmas celebration, for the first time in Nigeria, the President released to the Christian Association of Nigeria in every state 1,200 bags of rice. At the national level, the bags of rice released to them by the Presidency were more than 3,000 bags of rice and many other things. From Tinubu’s behaviour, we should know that he has good intentions for Nigeria. But there are saboteurs. Some people do not want Nigeria to get out of the woods. For the first time, we are eating what we are sowing.
We are not living a borrowed life. Subsidy is gone and let us all face the reality. Let us get out of the woods. Very soon, Nigerians will smile. As we prepare, our God will provide, but we are also going to well-meaning Nigerians to sponsor people on pilgrimage, and we have started contacting some of them and they are ready to partner with us to help, especially the less privileged and the disadvantaged of the North. Our administration is holistic. We must be our brothers’ keepers.
There has been this argument that the government should stop sponsoring pilgrims to holy lands because of the current economic realities in the country. How will you react to this?
A lot of people do not know the meaning. When we go to the holy land, we go for prayers and the only thing that can sustain any government or nation is prayers. When you hold an American dollar, what you find in the dollar is ‘In God We Trust.’ That is the belief of their forefathers. Though they have deviated, that faith or belief that they have in their currency is still assisting them a lot. If we sponsor anyone to the holy land, that person will not curse this government. There are people who in their lives will never be to the holy land but if they are sponsored, they will never forget it.
I have done it in the past, and I am better off for it. Some people who are connected to me have been to the holy land free of charge. I got passports for them. They can never forget my name. I will never support the idea that the government should stop sponsoring people to the holy land. Is that the reason why we are poor? All we need to look at is where people are taking the money of this nation illegally and blocking them. We will have more money to sponsor pilgrims and aside from that, are we not supposed to be responsible for social ministry? It is part of our ministry either as a government or as a church. We have social activities that we must do for our people. The government and the church must work together and put smiles on people’s faces. We should encourage the government to do so, and we will have blessings for that.
What does a pilgrim benefit by spending a huge sum of N3m on a pilgrimage, especially during this period of economic crisis?
The spiritual journey is not a jamboree. It is not to satisfy your curiosity; it is a spiritual journey. It is a journey to a divine destination. When you journey with the Lord, there is no way you will come back empty-handed. You find a lot of people saving towards the pilgrimage and we are going to organise a pilgrimage this year in this commission to reduce the burden on people. In our hearts, we have the opportunity to start community banking or mortgage so that people can contribute and pay in instalments while preparing to go next year or in the next two years for pilgrimage. People will even get interested in the course of saving.
How does the NCPC identify and disqualify some intended pilgrims who falsify information about themselves and fail to meet other requirements to avoid embarrassing the country abroad?
The people saddled with the responsibility to conduct screenings are trained. Some of them are psychologists. If I interview anybody and you intend to abscond, I will tell you, and you will not go with us. If you plan to abscond and you later repent, I will allow you to go but I will tie you to my apron and I will be with you 24/7 so that the person will know that it is not through that means that they can make it in life. They can go with us and return to Nigeria. If you want to japa, you can do that on your own. In 2023, a member of the board who absconded was disciplined for one year. We had to beg before he was returned to the board.
The law allows us to discipline anyone who has flouted the law and if any absconder is traced to your doorstep, one will answer for it. We discourage abscondment because it dents the image of our nation and also blocks the opportunities for others who do not have the intention of running away. We also have monitoring teams such as the Department of Security Service, among others.
In the past, the pilgrimage lasted for 10/11 days. However, why have the days been shortened to seven days?
That is not correct. The day you travelled and the day you returned are all part of your pilgrimage. What I agree with is that it used to be 10 days from the day of travel to the day that you will return, and it should be 10 days. We are going to look into that and ensure that we get the 10 days for people. So, it does not cost us much, just a difference of one day. When they travel, they stay for seven days, and they return which is nine days, just a day is missing. In 1999, we were there for 10 days.
Can pilgrims be considered full JPs without a visit to Israel?
The meaning of JP is Jerusalem Pilgrim. So, if you are not in Israel, you cannot be a Jerusalem pilgrim. When I came, what I met was that people wanted to go to Rome and Greece and I asked what they would be called. The destination of any intending pilgrim from Nigeria and all over the world is Jerusalem. If you have not stepped your feet on the soil of Jerusalem, people believe that you have not gone on a pilgrimage. But because of the closure of Jerusalem gate, we want to look for other alternatives. There are other holy sites, but we must end our journey in the holy land and that is Jerusalem. God chooses Israel/Jerusalem despite being surrounded by 14 countries that are enemies. They still strive and succeed. If people choose to visit some places in Greece, it is very fine. I have said clearly and loudly that we must plan our journey to end in Jerusalem and return to Nigeria.
Are there people who are opting out because they would not be visiting Israel?
Yes. Some people said until they open the gate of Jerusalem, they will not travel for pilgrimage.
What is your message to Nigerians especially Christians during this hard time in the country?
This is Lent season. It is a season of penitence, hope, humility, sober reflection, and great expectations. Nigerians should not give up. Winners do not quit. Let them continue to trust in God. Let us continue to pray for our government. When Nigeria is at peace, then we will all enjoy the nation. We must be proud of our country. They (Nigerians) should not be used by wicked people who said they will not allow Nigeria to grow.
