Pilgrimage : NCPC debunk allegations of misconduct levelled against it by Adamawa CAN Chairman
From Umar Dankano,Yola.
The National Christian Pilgrimage Commission(NCPC) has debunked the allegations of misconduct levelled against it by the CAN Chairman of Adamawa state,Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza.
Deputy Director/Head of media and public relations of the Commission,Celestine Toruka made the position known through a press release dissociating the commission from any wrong doing rather correcting the Adamawa state Christian pilgrims board from airlifting intending pilgrims to Rome in November last year without recourse to NCPC.
Toruka stated in the release that,it is only the commission through its establishment Act of 2007 has the mandate to coordinate and superintend all Christian pilgrimage activities by supervising the movement of Christians to Holy sites around the world.
While insisting that a state board has no such powers to airlift intending pilgrims,it (NCPC) only intervened in the Adamawa issue due plea from Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and the need to properly carry out extreme vetting on the intending pilgrims for the purpose of securing visas.
“It is even strange that the Chairman of the state chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria,CAN is the one talking about pilgrimage exercise,the commission does not deal with CAN state chapter rather it deals with the state Christian pilgrims welfare Boards
“This is an aberration except there is an ulterior motive behind it .The Adamawa Rome pilgrimage took place 23rd -28th May,2022 and a formal report was submitted to the Secretary of the Government of the Federation,Our supervising body.
“The fact remains that what the commission did in Adamawa Rome trip was a rescue and intervention mission”.the release highlighted.
It could be recalled that on Thursday last week in Yola at a press conference the Adamawa state CAN Chairman and Bishop of Yola Catholic Diocese,Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza accused the leadership of the commission of corruption and mismanagement.
Bishop Mamza challenged the Executive Secretary of the Commission,Rev. Yakubu Pam to resign  his position for alleged incompetence and gross misconduct in handling the activities of the commission.
Bishop Mamza lamented that the leadership style of Rev. Pam has been creating more embarrassing and unbecoming attention to the commission as well as Christendom.
Mamza  who was noticed visibly disturbed said his statements were informed as a result of the shady pilgrimage exercise to Rome conducted by the commission six months ago where a  large number of Adamawa Christian pilgrims were disgraced in Rome but due to poor organisation
He alleged that despite the money paid by state government for the exercise,no accommodation, feeding and buses for movement arrangements were made for the contingents by the commission lamenting that as a leader of a team of 135 pilgrims in Rome,he had to used his personal resource to assist them (Pilgrims).
He called on the secretary to the government of Federation,SGF Boss Mustapha to invite the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the activities of the commission with a view to unravel the alleged corruption and mismanagement in the entire process.
