Mr John-Kennedy Opara, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, said this during a news briefing ahead of the transportation of the first set of 250 pilgrims on Saturday.

Opara said that the commission planned to transport and could even surpass its target of 30,000 intending pilgrims during this year’s exercise which would end in December.

He said the commission had put all necessary measures in place to ensure a hitch-free pilgrimage and urged the media to collaborate with the commission in sensitising intending pilgrims.

“The good news is that come Oct. 18, 2014, we will commence the airlifting of the 2014 intending pilgrims to Israel as approved by Mr President.

“Two airlines, Atlas Jet and the Israeli national carrier, El Al, have been approved by Mr President for the airlifting of our intending pilgrims.

“Our medical team is ready and our ground handlers are in place to ensure the safety of the lives of our citizens while in Israel and ensure a hitch-free exercise of zero mortality,’’ he said.

Opara said that the Bilateral Air Services Agreement which was recently signed between Nigeria and Israel had come into force, making Israel’s national carrier to be involved in the transportation exercise.

He said that arrangements were also being put in place for intending pilgrims to visit Mount Sinai during the pilgrimage as soon as the security situation in Egypt improved.

Opara said that Nigeria was Ebola-free and assured that everything would be done to ensure that adequate screening was done to ensure that no sick intending pilgrim goes to Israel.

This year’s pilgrimage, he said, was a special one, being an election year and urged intending pilgrims to go there and pray specifically for Nigeria ahead of the 2015 elections.

According to the scribe, pilgrimage is a tool for moral and spiritual rejuvenation for citizens and urged people to embark on the exercise with that mindset. (NAN)