Abuja: Since assuming office two years ago, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), has transported over 40,000 Nigerians to the Holy Land.
Addressing newsmen on his two-year anniversary in Abuja, Adegbite emphasised that this milestone demonstrates strengthened faith, streamlined administration, and increased government support for Nigerian pilgrims.
Speaking about activities during his leadership, the NCPC boss said that for each pilgrimage year in his two-year tenure, no pilgrimage recorded fewer than 20,000 pilgrims, including government-sponsored participants.
He said, “Since I came, we have had the first main pilgrimage, two executive pilgrimages, an Easter pilgrimage, and the ongoing 2025 main pilgrimage, which we will conclude next month.”
He noted, “For the ongoing 2025 pilgrimage, we brought the biggest aircraft, including a Boeing 777 for 525 passengers, then increased to another aircraft with 550 seats.”
We brought the biggest aircraft to Nigeria for the first time, including models carrying 525 and 550 passengers.
“We have conducted five major operations since I came on board.
“We had the main pilgrimage, Executive One, Executive Two, the Easter pilgrimage, and now the 2025 main pilgrimage, which began during my period and is ongoing and will conclude in Los Angeles next month.”
He noted that the 2025 pilgrimage represents another significant step for NCPC, featuring the introduction of large-capacity aircraft in Nigerian Christian pilgrimage history.
He said, “For the first time, we brought a Boeing 777 for 525 pilgrims. Then, we used another aircraft for 550 passengers—showing our organisational scale.”
“Then we brought another aircraft that carries 550 passengers at once. It shows the scale and organisation we have achieved,” he stated.
The executive secretary addressed criticisms of government support for pilgrimage, asserting that investing in spiritual journeys enhances national well-being.
He added, “To say pilgrimage is a waste is to misunderstand scripture. Prayer is Nigeria’s sustaining grace, and during pilgrimage, prayers are offered for the nation daily.”
“Prayer is the sustaining grace we have as a nation. When pilgrims go to the Holy Land, they pray daily for Nigeria.
“There are things you do for people that they may not repay you, but God will.” And for us, anybody who says it’s a waste of money to support pilgrimage does not understand the scripture.
“More theology will draw you closer to God, but little will take you away from him. So, for us in Nigeria,we will continue to seek President Bola Tinubu’s support as he has done in the last two years for Christians and Muslims, showing he is not a religious bigot.
“We pray pilgrimage costs remain steady so that more people can go,” he added.
Adegbite commended Tinubu for supporting both Christian and Muslim pilgrimages, describing him as a leader who believes strongly in prayer.
On the issue of abscondment, where pilgrims fail to return to Nigeria after pilgrimage, the NCPC boss acknowledged that it cannot be completely eradicated but said it had been drastically reduced.
“For instance, if 550 people travel and only two abscond, we must give glory to God. That is a significant reduction compared to what we used to have,” he noted.
Adegbite added that new administrative and orientation measures had helped curb the trend.
He also credited improved staff discipline, performance and security for the success recorded so far.
The executive secretary highlighted reforms in the selection of medical personnel for pilgrimages, saying the Commission now prioritises experience and proven performance over paper qualifications.
“In the past, some medical personnel saw pilgrimage as a fashion parade. Now we select based on competence and feedback.
“If someone performs exceptionally, we bring them back,” he said.
The NCPC head said Nigeria remained the leading African nation in pilgrimage to Israel, a position recently agreed on by other countries at a continental forum in Kenya.
He disclosed that some African leaders were now seeking collaboration with Nigeria to strengthen their own pilgrimage programmes.
Beyond pilgrimage operations, the executive secretary said his administration was focused on completing the commission’s ongoing heritage building project and exploring the possibility of acquiring property in the Holy Land to support Nigerian pilgrims during emergencies.
“It is my desire that before I leave office, the heritage building will be completed and inaugurated as a legacy project,” he said.
Adegbite added that staff welfare had also improved, revealing that during his two years in office, all 180 staff members of the commission had travelled at least twice.
He expressed gratitude to Tinubu and the First Lady, Sen Oluremi Tinubu, for the opportunity to serve, describing the commission’s transformation over the past two years as a shift “from disgrace to grace.”
“As long as there is life, there is hope, vision, and mission. For us at the NCPC, pilgrimage remains a divine assignment and a national blessing—an enduring legacy that inspires our nation forward.”