Northern govts rejected the sponsorship of Christian pilgrimage – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday expressed concern over the
report that northern state governments did not sponsor Christian
pilgrims during the 2014 pilgrimage to Israel.
He raised the concern when the leader of the Federal Government's
delegation to the pilgrimage, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, led other
members to present their report at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Oritsejafor, who is the President of the Christian Association of
Nigeria, had earlier told the President that all Christian pilgrims
from all the states in the North were sponsored by individuals or were
self-sponsored.
He said with the total of 12,890 pilgrims that performed the exercise,
the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission recorded about 45 per cent
increase in self-sponsorship.
The President, however, said economic pressure might have forced the
affected state governments to withdraw from sponsoring pilgrims.
He, however, promised to encourage the affected state governments on
the need to change their stand.
He said, "The only thing I noticed is that various state governments
are trying to withdraw from sponsorship of pilgrimage; maybe because
of the economic pressure on them. But we will encourage them to do so.
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"Luckily, private institutions have shown interest and I believe that
religious bodies, individuals and private institutions will gradually
begin to key into the pilgrimage operations.
"So, if sub-national governments relax a little, the gap will be filled up."
He expressed delight that the exercise was hitch-free despite the huge
number of people involved.
He promised that his administration would study the report and
implement the various recommendations made.
The President thereafter dissolved the 10-man delegation, with a
promise to constitute that of 2015 very soon.
As part of the delegation's report, Oritsejafor called for the
adequate funding of Nigerian embassies in Rome, Greece and Tel Aviv to
assist in the handling of pilgrims.
He also called on various governments, both at the state and local
levels, to sponsor Christians for pilgrimage especially as the
Commission was using the pilgrimage as a tool for moral and spiritual
transformation.
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