The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency plans to upscale Christains pilgrimage to Jerusalem by introducing installment savings as part of arrangements to enable Christians to save at approved banks for flexible payment.

At a one-day sensitisation meeting on Jerusalem Pilgrims with Christian stakeholders on Thursday in Kaduna, Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Yusuf Arrigasiyyu, said the event was aimed at addressing the low patronage of Christians to Jerusalem for pilgrimage.

Lamenting on the low patronage of such pligrims to Jerusalem, Rome, Vatican and Jordan, he said only eight Christains went for the 2022 pligrimage.

 

He explained that the Kaduna State Government, which in its wisdom, merged the Muslim and Christian pligrimage Welfare Board together as an Agency, was aimed at making ease and efficient the discharge of the Agency’s duties.

 

Arrigasiyyu added that the Agency’s meeting with the Christain leaders was also to solicit advice on possible ways of upscaling the Christians participantion in the exercise.

He also said the meeting was for the Agency to educate the Christian leaders on the need to sensitise their followers to the need for pligrimage to Jerusalem and other holy cities.

Related News

“We want them to educate the people that visit holy places for worship to increase their faith and knowledge because one will understand and practically see some of the things he or she has been reading in the holy book.

“Even the Muslims are allowed to visit the holy Mosque (Baitul Mukaddas) in Jerusalem for them to also see and pray inside for some religious reasons.

“Jerusalem and the other holy cities are also visited for tourism, most importantly for religious rites, despite the two reasons, the cities have low patronage,”he said.

Also, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim said the Christian Pilgrims were ‘sleeping’ and they wanted to know why.

Speaking as a participant, he added that the meeting would sensitise them and unravel the problems behind the low participantion.

He commended the Agency for introducing installment payment for intending pilgrims, noting that it would solve one of the problems associated with complete payment at once where many intending pilgrims may not afford.

“Many of us have advocated for this in a very long time, it is a wellcome idea,” he said.(NAN)