The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Reverend Yakubu Pam, has said the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has necessitated a change of Nigerian pilgrimage from Israel and Jordan to the Biblical sites in Rome and Greece.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Reverend Pam explained that the safety and security of Nigerian citizens has always been the prime concern of NCPC, adding that the Christian pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan scheduled for December 2023 was suspended due to such concerns and it is now being replaced with pilgrimage to Rome and the holy sites in Greece by the end of January.

He said after a prolonged wait for the Israel/Hamas conflict that began on October 7, 2023 to end, his teams previous researches on Biblical sites in Greece and Rome were properly analysed while he had personally led teams to inspect accommodation facilities and existing biblical sites among other tasks.

He said Unknown to many, Apostle Paul, Peter, and the early Christians are why we have Christian sites in Rome; it was from there, that they founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD, beginning the spread of Christianity across the world.

The NCPC said the new N3 million pilgrimage cost covering return flight ticket, hotel accommodation, three-course meal per day, tours of holy sites in executive luxury buses for six nights and seven days is exclusive of pilgrims travelling allowances while states and private pilgrims are expected to meet up with payments before the last day of January 2024. (Daily Trust)