By BRIDGET IKYADO

The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rev. Yakubu Pam, says his administration is open to investigation from any quarter.

Pam stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Adamawa State Christian Pilgrim Welfare Board Chairman, Bishop Stephen Mamza had alleged misconduct in the activities of the NCPC.

He said that the board handled all other arrangements by itself, adding that the commission only procured visa for them for the pilgrimage.

“We only intervened in the board`s problem to rescue it from so many lapses; they did not pay the commission a penny, no money came from them to this office (NCPC).

“We went into their issue to rescue them, they did not give us a penny before we went into their matter,” he said.

“Before we intervened, there were so many manipulations in their office. They had promised the pilgrims that they can go to Rome without recourse to NCPC,” he said.

“As far as Rome operation was concerned, the commission did not receive any money. We are writing to the board to produce the invoice or receipt of the money they claimed to have given to the commission,” he said.

He said that if the board fails to produce evidence of payments to the commission within five days, the commission will have no option than to take legal action against it.

“I will institute a criminal action in court against the Adamawa Christian Pilgrim Board at the expiration of the deadline,” he said.

Pam said that no embassy in Nigeria gives visa to pilgrims without recourse to the commission, saying that the commission only procured visas for them.

He appealed to critical stakeholders to ignore any allegation of mismanagement of funds against the commission.

“I will appeal to our critical stakeholders to disregard any allegation of mismanagement of funds in the commission.

“When I assumed office as the Executive Secretary I have had only a single budget and organised three operations to Jordan, Israel, Jordan and Rome,” he said.

“By the design of NCPC and its operations, we are supposed to be given pilgrimage operational budget twice in a year, because we have two pilgrimage in a year, this is my third year and we only got one budget,” he said.

He said that he expected Hamza to have gotten his facts correct before going to the media to make the frivolous allegation against the commission.

“If you have any allegation against the commission, get your facts ready and call the EFCC. I urge the general public to disregard all these misinformation,” he said.

“I will appeal to all our critical stakeholders to disregard any allegation on mismanagement of funds in the organization.

“By the design and operations of this place (NCPC), we are supposed to be given pilgrimage operational budget every year, in fact, twice a year.

“We have two pilgrims in a year, but since I came, this is the third pilgrimage performed under one budget, we have done three operations with it, which is Jordan, Israel and Rome,” Pam said.

“If someone is calling that we stole money the money should be there in the first place for one to embezzle, but if it is not there, what is there to embezzle.

“They should be able to produce a receipt or an invoice that money was paid here, my hands are clean, that is why we are writing them and giving them five days,” he said. (NAN)

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