Gombe – Pilgrims from Borno have promised to dedicate the period of  their pilgrimage to Israel to pray for peace and security in the state and the country in general.

Some of the pilgrims at the Gombe Airport on Tuesday night, shortly before their departure, said their major prayer point would be for God to enthrone lasting peace and security in the state and the country.

Mr Gaji Genesis, Executive Secretary, Borno State Christian Pilgrims Board, said he had mapped out programmes for clergymen in the entourage to organise daily prayers for the state and Nigeria while in the Holy Land.

“When I met with my governor, he asked me to pray for the state and Nigeria.

“And you know Borno is facing security challenges and our prayer point will be for God to make such challenges a thing of the past.

“We have a catalogue of items to pray for and I have mandated all the ministers in my entourage to plan out how we will pray,” he said.

Genesis said that he had also mobilised officials of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to ensure that they support their members to pray for a successful trip.

He said he was satisfied that the Gombe Airport was being used for the first time as a departure point for pilgrims to Israel and urged the pilgrims to use the opportunity to strengthen their spiritual powers.

Another pilgrim, Mr Hamidu Wuyem, expressed happiness at the opportunity to visit Israel, saying that he would use it to rededicate his life to Christ and pray for God’s intervention in the security situation in the entire North-East region.

NAN reports that Mr John Opara, the Executive Secretary of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), was at the airport at about 7.30 p.m. to bid the pilgrims farewell.

Opara said that 30,000 Nigerians would be performing this year’s pilgrimage to Israel and Rome and urged them to be good ambassadors of the country.

The executive secretary also enjoined them to pray for their respective states and the country. (NAN)