By Fortune Eromosele

The FCT Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, led by Acting Director Mrs. Rahila Isa-Baita, has joined forces with the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) to tackle the issue of abscondment during pilgrimages.

In a recent interview with journalists in Abuja, Mrs. Isa-Baita revealed that they have introduced stringent screening processes to minimize the occurrence of abscondment in the holy land.

According to her, about 230 intending pilgrims were screened, but only 207 were successful.

She said, “We screened about 220, 197 were successful, we still screened additional 10, in all about 207 were successful. The NCPC screen by sight or by form to know if the person is really interested in the pilgrimage or want to abscond.

“They look at the church he is going, if he is a Church goer or not, and also look at the family.

“Since I assumed office I had not rested, most people are well to do, because they can leave their busineses and abscond, for civil servants, we will look at the person sponsoring you”.

Isa-Baita emphasized that absconding comes with severe penalties, not only for the individuals involved but also for their sponsors.

She said, “There are penalties on the abscondees and their sponsors. As for the abscondees, when you are caught we deport them back to Nigeria and inform the necessary agencies to pick them up at the airport”.

The Acting Director expressed gratitude to the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, for his unwavering support throughout the screening and sensitization process.

She also appealed to wealthy Nigerians to sponsor fellow Christians in fulfilling their spiritual obligations, emphasizing that pilgrimage is a personal and spiritual experience.

This year’s pilgrimage, a carryover from last year, is scheduled to take place in Rome, Israel, and Jordan.

The Executive Secretary of the NCPC and his team recently visited Israel to ensure a smooth and hitch-free experience for pilgrims.

With preparations in place, Mrs. Isa-Baita is confident that there will be no issues at the holy sites in Israel.