By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board has been commended for its coordination of the screening exercise for intending pilgrims ahead of the 2025 Main Christian Pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan.

Head of Special Duties at the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, Olatunji Adetoye, gave the assessment on Thursday, during the first phase of the administrative and medical screening held in Abuja.

Adetoye said most of the intending pilgrims presented by the FCT were “very matured, focused and serious minded about what they are about to achieve,” noting that the coordination of the exercise reflected professionalism and strict adherence to guidelines.

He applauded the Board for fully implementing operational recommendations earlier agreed upon with the NCPC.

“The NCPC and FCT Christian Welfare Board, we are always having a good working relationship and I must say the board has done very well. They have all the necessary information they need to get, and all the ideas and suggestions we discussed were put into practice,” he said.

Adetoye rated the FCT’s screening arrangement at 95 percent, saying: “Because we always give room for improvement, I will grade the board 95% for the well organised screening exercise.”

He further explained that the Commission expects intending pilgrims to approach the journey with spiritual seriousness.

“Today’s assessment, we discovered that most people who presented themselves for screening are very matured, focused and serious minded about what they are about to achieve. We thank God for today and the calibre of people presented.

“We expect people to present themselves as good ambassadors of Nigeria. People who are still in doubt, when they have the privilege to see and walk the path where Jesus walked, there are things that change in their life both spiritually and physically and it causes genuine repentance and renews your belief in God almighty even without anyone monitoring or checking you.”

Speaking during the exercise, the Director of the Board, Gloria Dandam, said the FCT Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board has strengthened its internal procedures to ensure that only medically fit, spiritually grounded and properly documented pilgrims make the final list.

“For 2025, right now we’re just screening. This is the first screening. We’re going to have a second screening before the journey… It’s not everybody that has come for screening that will qualify to travel,” she explained.

Dandam said the stages of the screening were deliberately designed to protect pilgrims.

“When you come, there’s a registration desk. You register… After that, you queue in for the medicals. Your BP is checked. Your sugar is checked. They ask you what drugs you are on so that if we need to bring certain drugs that we’ve not been using to travel before, we’ll now purchase more.”

On safety, she said the board works closely with NCPC, medical personnel and spiritual leaders.

“Israel is one of the safest countries to travel to because no matter the wars they have and their battles, they are still the most secure country in the whole world. As you enter their country, they know you. So of course, we’re very secure except if you’re going there with a different mind to do something else, then they’ll pick you up.”

She added that pilgrims travel in smaller buses “so you can easily know who is who and know the problem anybody has so that you can tackle it,” with pastors and security personnel attached to each group.

Over 200 intending pilgrims were screened on Thursday, with others arriving with fresh forms as the exercise progressed. Dandam said the Board will determine the final list of qualified pilgrims after completing all stages of the screening.

By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja

The Senate, through its Committee on Finance has issued a warrant of arrest against the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, over his failure to honour invitations extended to him by the Committee.

The warrant which was issued by the Committee yesterday during a budget defence session involving the Federal Ministry of Finance and its agencies at the national assembly followed after his alleged repeated refusal to appear for clarifications relating to his Commission.

Speaking on the issue, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, accused the CAC boss of serially disregarding legislative summons and failing to account for issues relating to the commission’s revenue.

 “The Registrar General has on so many occasions refused to honour invitations and summons by this committee,” Musa said.

He further alleged that the committee had unresolved concerns regarding the reconciliation of CAC revenues.

 “We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of the CAC, but each time we summoned him, he would send a junior officer,” the Chairman said.

The matter was first raised by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who urged the Committee to recommend Magaji’s removal from office to President Bola Tinubu.

Kalu argued that failure to comply with legislative oversight undermines accountability and the authority of the National Assembly.

Another member of the Committee, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, proposed that no budgetary allocation should be approved for the CAC in the 2026 Appropriation Act until the Registrar-General personally appears before the lawmakers.

Oshiomhole also recommended that the Commission be restrained from spending its internally generated revenue without prior approval from the National Assembly.

The Committee subsequently endorsed the proposal to restrict the CAC’s access to its internally generated funds pending compliance.

The development underscores growing tension between the legislative arm and key government agencies over issues of financial accountability and compliance with oversight functions.

Concerned residents and road users in Lugbe, Abuja, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the deteriorating condition of roads in the area.

This is contained in an open letter addressed to President Tinubu and signed by Michael Nwaohiri, Convener of the ‘Fix Lugbe Roads Campaign’ yesterday.

Nwaohiri described Lugbe as a major residential and commercial hub in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) housing thousands of civil servants, business owners, students, transporters and families.

He noted that key access roads within the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Lugbe, had deteriorated into ”craters” of failed pavements, dangerous potholes and broken drainage systems.

According to him, journeys that should take between 10 and 15 minutes now last several minutes due to the poor state of the roads.

He added that vehicles now break down daily with transport fares rising sharply on the roads, while emergency responses are delayed, businesses suffering losses and overall productivity declining.

He listed the affected routes to include 1st Avenue Road (Timber Shed to Police Sign Board), Mr Biggs Road linking Total Filling Station, King of Kings Crescent (IK Stores to El Sultan Mall).

“Other routes are Sector F Road (through Car Wash axis), Total Filling Station to AMAC Market FHA Phase II, and the Conoil axis from Airport Road to FHA New Site.

”Abuja is the capital of our nation. Lugbe deserves infrastructure that reflects that status. We are not asking for temporary patchwork, we are asking for durable, properly engineered concrete roads that can serve residents for decades,” he said.

The convener urged the President and relevant FCT authorities to conduct an urgent technical assessment of the affected roads.

He also urged the government to include Lugbe priority roads in immediate infrastructure intervention plans, and provide a clear timeline for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

He expressed confidence that under Tinubu’s leadership, the concerns of ordinary citizens would receive the needed attention.