By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Following malicious allegation of misappropriation of funds against the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, NCPC, Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam, the Commission has given the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN Adamawa State branch, Bishop Stephen Mamza five days to provide receipts and invoices for all the monies allegedly paid to the Commission by the Adamawa State Government which the Executive Secretary of NCPC was said to have misappropriated.
In a statement signed by Celestine Toruka, Deputy Director/Head Media & Public Relations of NCPC, a terse petition signed by the Legal Adviser of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Barrister Odey Obule on 5th December 2022, was addressed to Bishop Stephen Mamza, titled: “Retraction of False and Malicious Publication Against The Executive Secretary Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, NCPC”.
The statement reads “should you fail, omit or neglect to purge yourself of this malicious and unwarranted publication, the Commission would be forced to escalate the matter to higher authorities in order to ventilate its rights which you have flagrantly trampled upon without justification.”
The Commission further re-affirmed that it never nor collected any money whatsoever from Adamawa State Government for the Adamawa Pilgrimage exercise to Rome held between 23rd May to 28th May, 2022.
NCPC explained that the Commission only intervened when it discovered that the Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board under its Executive Secretary, Rev. Zidon Love tried to perform pilgrimage to Rome without recourse to the Commission contrary to the NCPC enabling Act of 2007 which empowers the Commission to coordinate, supervise and manage the activities of Christian Pilgrimage in Nigeria and the movement of Nigeria Christians to the Holy Sites around the world.
The NCPC maintained that the entire Adamawa pilgrimage was marred by several challenges which could have been avoided had the Commission been carried along from the beginning.
He further stated: “it is therefore uncharitable for you to ascribe blame for the failure of the exercise to the Commission which only came in to salvage the situation after all the arrangements and payments had been made by the State Board to several service providers it contracted.”
It would be recalled that Bishop Stephen Mamza granted press conference on 1st December, 2022 in Yola alleging massive corruption in NCPC and demanding the sack of Rev. Yakubu Pam over unfounded and malicious allegation.
