CHIDIMMA UCHEGBU
The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Christian Pilgrimage Commission ( NCPC), Bishop Stephen Adegbite, has called on the authorities to speed up the process of improving the economy to reduce hardship in the country.
Adegbite made this call in his Abuja office while addressing journalists on the preparations of his commission for this year’s christian pilgrimage.
He said urged that the private sector should be spared from the minimum wage as it is the largest bloc of employers in the country.
“We do not want a situation where some of these people will have to downsize or retrench workers in order to pay salaries that are above their limit.
“We also have to be sure that the sub-nationals are ready to pay above N60,000 to their workers.
“The distribution revenue from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) is now quite high to the extent that what was shared among all tiers of government in April 2024, was N1.2 trillion compared to N655bn exactly one year ago.
“So, in our view, the sub-nationals have more funds for developmental projects than ever before but will also keep their eyes on the ongoing national minimum wage negotiations.
“We have no doubt that the finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy Mr. Wale Edun will do a good job of carrying out the directive of President Bola Tinubu on him to work out a template for a new minimum wage and analysis of the fiscal impact on the federal budget.
“So, our prayer is that both sides should reach an understanding on a minimum wage structure that will be acceptable to all the parties involved without causing more problems in the system.
“We know that many Nigerians have been hard hit by the effect of fuel subsidy removal as well as the unification of foreign exchange rates, but we also join the president in soliciting for understanding while the government continues to take steps to reduce the burden on our people.
“There can’t be quick fixes to the country’s economic problem and we acknowledge that the federal government has worked out a number of initiatives, but we want to use this opportunity to call on the authorities to speed up the process of ameliorating the hardship.
“The sub-nationals are also urged to support the federal government with initiatives in their states, especially now that many states are getting almost double what they were receiving from the federation account,” he said.
Commenting on preparations for the 2024 pilgrimage to Israel, Bishop Adegbite said the NCPC leadership recently convened a 7-day retreat/pre-visit for special pilgrimage leaders, managers, and other stakeholders in Nazareth.
According to him, the event was themed: Enriching Christian Pilgrimage Experience for Satisfaction.
He said that although the objective of the pre-visit/retreat was to enhance the experience of Christian Pilgrims from Nigeria as well as to take far reaching decisions on issues including abscondment, “we also agreed on new things to incorporate into the pilgrimage.”
“The key decision is that the Nigerian Christian pilgrimage Commission is set to incorporate agricultural skill acquisition especially for youths into the pilgrimage experience. This is with a view to getting first-hand knowledge of Israel’s globally acclaimed agriculture sector and how to replicate it in the country.
“We see a lot of potential benefits in ensuring that our people tap into the Israeli ecosystem and its value chain.
“While in Israel, the NCPC delegation that I led also had an interface with Israeli government officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Border Control with a view to addressing some pending issues.
“The deliberations had to do mainly with visa denial, visa validity and the reduction of visa approval days from 14 to 10 days and at the end of the meeting, which also had officials from the Nigerian embassy in attendance, the Israelis agreed to reconsider all existing relationships to ensure a pleasurable pilgrimage experience for Nigerians,” he added.
According to the NCPC, the Israeli authorities promised continuous dialogue with th the commission and its representatives.
“I want to place it on record that on assuming office as Executive Secretary, I made it a priority to revive all crucial relationships that had been abandoned over the years, and that by God’s grace is what I have begun with by leading the Nigerian delegation to a meeting which was held with the Israeli government officials before we returned to Nigeria,” he noted.
Adegbite further assured intending Nigerian pilgrims of a rewarding experience throughout his tenure.
