By Chinyere Amalu

ABUJA—The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Mr. John Kennedy Okpara, has advised successful medical personnel who will be attached to Christian pilgrims for this year’s holy pilgrimages to Israel and Rome to withdraw from the exercise if their interest is on estacodes, as the exercise is purely a spiritual one.

On why pregnant women are not allowed to participate in the exercise, Okprara said it is not discriminatory but intended to prevent any kind of miscarriage and pains.

The NCPC boss gave the advice at the weekend while addressing medical personnel selected for the 2009 exercise during an orientation programme at Maitama Hospital in Abuja .

He pointed out that the Commission would not want the past to repeat itself where doctors and nurses on arrival in Tel Aviv started asking for their estacodes even when they had not checked out of the airport.

Though he assured them that their allowances would be paid, Mr. Okpara insisted that “monetary gains should not be the basis for participating but the service that would be rendered to fellow Christians who are on spiritual assignment.

“I congratulate you for scaling through the hurdles but I don’t want doctors and nurses who will get to Tel Aviv and start asking for how much they are going to be paid,” he warned.