The Federal Government has already concluded plans to sponsor 1,000 youth on special pilgrimage to Israel in July to understudy Israeli agricultural technology.
Tor Uja, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) disclosed this during a press briefing hosted by NCPC and Ghanaian Minister of Religious Affairs and Chieftaincy Matters, Kofi Dzamesi on Friday in Abuja.
According to the Executive Secretary of NCPC, the youth pilgrimage will combine prayers, skills acquisition, site seeing, interaction with youths in Israel and exposure to Israeli agricultural technology.
The special pilgrimage is geared towards positioning Nigerian youths to take responsibility and ownership of the African continent through agriculture and technology, Uja says.

“We need to give more attention to the youths. We need to invest in the youths and inculcate in them a sense of understanding of what Africa stands for. We want our youths to take responsibility for Africa’s future and take ownership of the continent.
“Nigeria has concluded plans for a programme of youth development through a special youth pilgrimage in July. We intend to take at least 1,000 youths on an exposure pilgrimage to the Holy land. It is not only for prayers and site-seeing but also involves interaction with other Israeli youths and also exposure to Israeli agriculture and technology” the NCPC boss says.
According to him, Nigeria’s partnership with Ghana on pilgrimage matters and the upward lifting of the African continent would last and the Commission would also visit Ghana to build the capacity of the country’s officials on pilgrimage.
In his words “They (Ghanaian delegation) have requested us to maintain partnership with them so that in the years ahead they will be coming and we will also be going to teach, train, guide and help them.”
The Ghanaian Minister, Dzamesi, on his part, commended NCPC for considering his country’s request to understudy Nigeria’s pilgrimage system.
He hopes that the efforts made between the two countries using pilgrimage for spiritual awareness, understanding, and national development would strengthen African unity.
“Nigeria is the only country in the African continent that is running a near Christian pilgrimage and maybe if there is a next, it will be Ghana,
“You have opened to us and disclosed to us more than we expected. You have demonstrated the willingness and desire to partner with us and give us the guidance to succeed in our common enterprise of using pilgrimage for spiritual awareness, understanding and national development.
“In the spirit of our relationship, it is my hope and ambition that this effort will strengthen African unity and development,” Dzamesi says.