Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission stinks – Rev Dami Mamza

~ Says commission in serious mess, urges EFCC, ICPC to intervene

The Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese and Chairman of CAN in Adamawa state, Most Rev Bishop Dami Mamza has urged Nigeria’s anti corruption agencies including Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to beam their klieg lights on Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission over massive irregularities taking place.

Mamza who expressed dismay over the malfeasance taking place in the commission, said, he has no option other than to spill the beans as his conscience will not allow him to keep quiet and watch the ruination of the commission.

The cleric who issued the strong worded reservation against the executive secretary of the commission, Rev. Yakubu Pam in Yola, on Thursday, said the executive secretary is a disappointment to Christianity and urged him to immediately resign from office to save the commission from an impending doom.

“I want to make some statements regarding the pilgrimage we had six months ago. The Adamawa state government under the leadership of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri was able to make arrangements for christian pilgrims to go to Rome in large numbers.

“When we came back I didn’t want to say anything because I want to reflect on the experience we passed through and since then for the past six months my conscience has been bordering me regarding the activities that are taking place at the Nigerian christians pilgrimage commission under the leadership of Rev. Yakubu Pam.

“The pilgrimage that we went to Rome if I was not part of the team and the team leader Adamawa State citizens would have been stranded in Rome and they would have been left in the Nigerian embassy in Rome.

“The government of Adamawa State gave adequate resources in other for the activities of the pilgrimage to take place. But the Nigerian christians pilgrimage commission did nothing.

” The pilgrims arrived Rome, and some of us have no rooms to stay, no buses and no arrangement was made for people to move from one place to the other.

“I was able to make arrangement so that we can have audience with the Pope and the holy father. And the holy father recognized and acknowledged the presence of over 100 pilgrims from Adamawa State. We were so delighted. That was the only good thing that went well in that pilgrimage,” he said.

Mamza noted that it was unfortunate that some of the pilgrims who ought to spend no fewer than seven days in the holy land just spent a night and have to come back courtesy of shoddy and shabby arrangement by the Pam led commission.

“Some pilgrims actually went to the pilgrimage and spent just one night and they have to come back the following day because no accomodation was provided and there was no feeding. In fact, I have to go to the Vatican bank to withdraw money from there and started making arrangement for accomodation for some pilgrims because the national collected the money and didn’t make any arrangement.

“There was no proper pre-visit before we went and the pilgrims that supposed to stay a minimum of one week spent only few days. Those that spent long time are those that spent five days. I use my own resources for people to stay for three days so that they will have the feeling of Rome.

“We had three first class traditional rulers and accomodation was not proper and
no feeding. They were made to become liability for everybody, and everybody was a liability. I decided to keep quiet for the next pilgrimage to take place,” he said.

The CAN chairman added that from information at his disposal, the latest pilgrimage was even worst compared to the one they attended six months ago.

“I understand that our own situation was even better. Their own was worst there was even a deputy governor and some first class traditional rulers in the team some of them have no visa. Some of them found themselves in different countries they never planned to visit. The Nigerian Christians pilgrims commission is in a mess.

“And I want to call on SGF I understand that the commission is under his office to investigate the activities of Yakubu Pam. There are a lot of wrongs going there and he seems to be single handedly working because even of recent, the chairman of the commission issued a letter of being not involved in anything at the Commission,” he noted.

He said it was wrong in the first place for the federal government to consider someone with character deficit ike Pam to man such important organ adding that the misconduct of Pam is causing the commission a sublime disrepute.

“What do you expect from somebody that has been sacked from his church? And then he is given that kind of appointment. He is a disappointment to christians. If you are going to give someone appointment even if it is a political appointment find out the track record of that person. This is someone that has no church. Assemblies of God Church has sacked him and FG appointed him. This is an embarrassment,” he said.

He accused Pam of sabotaging plans by Adamawa pilgrims commission to organize a smooth pilgrimage for selfish reasons noting that after taking over the operations, he messed everything up.

“The first arrangement we made was perfect but Yakubu Pam frustrated it becaus money did not go through him. He came severally to Adamawa State and people begged him to allow us to go. He insisted and even wrote to Italian embassy to deny us visa and then at the end of the day everything was submitted to him and he got us int this mess.

“If the whole thing happened the way it was initially organized, nothing would have happened because he insisted that every pilgrim those that are travelling in large numbers must pass through the Nigerian christians pilgrimage commission which is right. There are others that pay but couldn’t get accomodation what happened to their money?

“We cannot continue to keep silent. We don’t know what will happen because even the chairman of the commission said that christian Pilgrimage should be suspended. I saw letters by the chairman asking Yakubu Pam to explain things. So things are not in order,” he added.

Mamza noted that the vibes and ripples from all the states is the same as the states also complaint of being shortchanged by the Pam led christian pilgrims commission.