Adamawa State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) chairman and Bishop of Yola Catholic diocese, Most. Rev. Dami Mamza has shed more light into the sleaze that is allegedly taking place at the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) saying that the executive secretary of the commission has during the 2022 christian pilgrims eloped with €34,500 belonging to Adamawa pilgrims.
It may be recalled that on December 1, 2022, Mamza has accused the executive secretary of the NCPC, Rev. Yakubu Pam of perpetrating monumental sleaze in running the commission urging anti-graft bodies to wade in and save the commission from implosion.
But Rev Pam has denied all the accusations of sleaze urging Mamza to retract his statement or face litigation for defamation of character.
But responding to the threat of Pam, Bishop Dami Mamza who called the bluff of the executive secretary of NCPC said it was trite that weeks after issuing the threats he is yet to fulfill his vow of taking him to court, noting that his failure to seek redress has portrayed his threat as empty and bereft of substance.
Speaking on behalf of Mamza, his counsel, Thomas Egwuje Esq, said, Bishop Mamza has evidences, records and proofs of Pam’s monumental sleaze in running the commission and will henceforth maintain fidelity with his earlier statement.
“Gentlemen of the Press, you will recall that His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza the Catholic Bishop of Yola and Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Adamawa State chapter held a press conference on 1 December, 2022 highlighting his ugly experience as the Head of Delegation Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims’ visit to Rome in 2022 with Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) under the leadership of its Executive Secretary Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam.
“In that press conference His Lordship called for investigation of the roles played Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam and his team by appropriate authority.
“The Commission through its Executive Secretary Rev. DR. Yaku Pam on the 5th December, 2022 responded to His Lordship’s p conference where he referred to His Lordship’s statements a “figment of his imagination, malicious falsehood, hearsay and half truths and had thereby injured the reputation of the commission and its Executive Secretary Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam.
“The Commission further stated that should His Lordship fail, omit or neglect to purge himself of the malicious and unwarranted publication, the Commission would be forced to escalate the matter to higher authorities in order to ventilate its rights which they alleged His Lordship had fid trampled upon without justification”. The Commission then gave His Lordship a (5) days ultimatum to provide the proof of monies
paid by the Adamawa State Government to the Commission which the Executive Secretary Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam misappropriated or else the Commission would be forced to take appropriate action against His Lordship.
“It is worthy of note also that Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam in addition to the letter he wrote to His Lordship on the 5th December. 2022 also petition His Lordship to Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Abuja.
“Ordinarily His Lordship would have kept quiet on this matter at this point but doing so will further emboldened Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam and his team to continue with all the abnormalities currently going on at the Commission under the leadership of Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam.
“Secondly, should His Lordship maintain silence on this matter at this point the Commission and those following up this matter will come to the wrong conclusion that His Lordship has no proofs of issues raised against the Commission and its Executive Secretary Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam in his press conference and as a result has no choice but to stop further comment on the matter.
“The 5 days ultimatum issued to His Lordship by the Commission elapsed since 10th December, 2022 with no further move by the Commission under the leadership of Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam to carry out their empty threat. We can only but conclude at this point that the Commission’s letter and petition against His Lordship were not only an empty threats but also a mere defence tactics by Rev. DR Yakubu Pam and the Commission to sweep the matter under the carpet and continue in the wrong part they have chosen for themselves.
The Commission will be wrong to think that they can stop His Lordship Most Rev. DR. Stephen Dam) Mamza from airing his view on this matter. It is really ridiculous and laughable too for the Commission under the leadership of Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam to imagine that a person of His Lordship standing will wake up one morning and hold a press conference on a matter without having his facts intact.
“His Lordship Most Rev. DR. Stephen Dami Mamza has the proofs of all the comments he made against Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam and the Commission in his press conference of 1” December, 2022 including the fact that the Commission collected €34, 500 (thirty four thousand, five hundred Euros) from Adamawa State Government at Rome without corresponding services before abandoning the pilgrims to their fate. Mr Abu Okpanachi the Director of operation Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) under the leadership and instruction of Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam collected the money cash at Rome.
“It is no longer news that Adamawa State Christian pilgrims to Rome 2022 which had in its entourage some senior Government officials and first class traditional rulers went through hell in Rome. His Lordship wish that such an ugly experience will not repeat itself in the future. Many of the pilgrims slept on bare floor for days at Rome in the name of pilgrimage. You can imagine a situation where 6 pilgrims stayed in a hotel room that was meant for 2 persons. The situation was so bad that His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza as the Head of delegation of Adamawa State Christian Pilgrimage to Rome 2022 could not stand it but has to source for money in Rome from every available means including the Vatican Bank just to ameliorate the suffering of the pilgrims.
“His Lordship spent huge sums of his resources running to thousands of Euros in Rome to feed the pilgrims and attend to some of their needs.
“I am sure you will be surprised to hear that Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam came to the pilgrimage with more than 20 persons as staff of the commission all at the expense of Adamawa State Government. The Pilgrims will tell you that they only set their eyes on Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam and his team once in Rome before they disappeared Into the thin air and that is after collecting a huge amount of money from Adamawa State Government in Rome.
“The Commission does not have any concern for the welfare of the pilgrims as it is today as all they care about are the financial benefits accruing from the trip. We can not continue this way and expect everybody to remain silent as if all is well just to make sure that we don’t offend someone.
“His Lordship has his proof to the effect that the Commission officially took over the entire arrangement and planning of the pilgrimage to Rome from Adamawa State Christian Pilgrim Welfare Board on 14th March, 2022. It was one problem or the other which I do not have all the time to go into details since the Commission took charge of the pilgrimage.
“Somebody must rise up and speak in the face of evil and if God has chosen His Lordship in the body of Christ to be that person so be it. If we don’t speak out in this situation ther Christians who are privileged to go to the Holy land will continue t suffer in the hands of Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam and his team. Those who
know His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza very well will tell you that His Lordship will never keep quite in situation such as this.
“The ugly stories that continue to come out of pilgrims that participated in the pilgrimage recently organized by the Commission under the leadership of Rev. DR Yakubu Pam and other revelations of corrupt activities against him by many individuals and organizations, is a confirmation of His Lordship’s position that Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam lacks integrity and the character needed to occupy the office of Executive Secretary Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC).
“We wish to state categorically and unequivocally too that His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza has no regret for his press conference of 1” December, 2022. In fact the Commission under the leadership of Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam ought to have tendered an unreserved apology to His Lordship for what the Commission made His Lordship and other pilgrims went through in Rome or better still Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam ought to have resigned from office as Executive Secretary Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC). His continuous stay in office as Executive Secretary Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) is an indictment against this administration.
“Finally we want to put it on record that His Lordship Most Rev. DR. indictment against this administration. Stephen Dami Mamza has no personal grudges against Rev. DR. Yakubu Pam as a person but as the Executive Secretary of the Commission. It is the hope of all Christians including His Lordship that Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) is transformed to a more reputable Government organization that will serve the interest of Nigeria Christians to the fullest. Thanks and God bless,” Egwuje said.
