NORTHERN GOVTS FAIL TO SPONSOR CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE - JONATHAN

According to PUNCH, the President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has on monday expressed concern over the report that northern state government did not sponsor Christian pilgrims during the 2014 pilgrimage to Isreal.  He raised the concern when the leader of the Federal Government’s delegation to the pilgrimage, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, led other members to present their report at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Oritsejafor, who is the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, had earlier told the President that all Christian pilgrims from all the states in the North were sponsored by individuals or were self-sponsored.

He said with the total of 12,890 pilgrims that performed the exercise, the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission recorded about 45 per cent increase in self-sponsorship.

The President, however, said economic pressure might have forced the affected state governments to withdraw from sponsoring pilgrims.

He, however, promised to encourage the affected state governments on the need to change their stand.

He said, “The only thing I noticed is that various state governments are trying to withdraw from sponsorship of pilgrimage; maybe because of the economic pressure on them. But we will encourage them to do so.  Click here for MORE