FCT Pilgrims Board screens final batch of intending travellers to Israel, Jordan

The Federal Capital Territory Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board (FCT-CPWB) has begun screening an additional 110 applicants for the 2025 pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan.

The exercise, which started Tuesday in Abuja, is part of a mop-up phase to complete the vetting of a total of 250 intending pilgrims scheduled to travel between August and September.

Gloria Dandam, director of the FCT-CPWB, said the process is being conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) to verify applicants’ eligibility and ensure compliance with all requirements before payment and visa processing can begin.

“We are having our screening today, our mop-up, because we’ve done the main screening. This is the second one. And our trip is supposed to be in August-September,” she said.

“We might be the second people leaving. So we need to conclude today, so that we forward our list to NCPC for visa issuance. That’s what we are doing today.”

According to her, 140 individuals—mostly private applicants—were screened in the first batch. The latest phase targets 110 more, bringing the total to 250.

“Those that are recommended to go for the trip, we will send them messages to pay their money, so that we can conclude and send it all to NCPC,” she added.

Dandam said the screening is mandatory and includes multiple stages to assess the readiness and qualification of each applicant.

She also confirmed that a pre-visit to Israel showed that the security situation is currently stable enough to guarantee the safety of Nigerian pilgrims.

However, she noted that only designated safe zones will be included in the travel itinerary.