Lagos Screens 2,500 Jerusalem Pilgrims

The Lagos State Government has begun medical screening of 2,500 intending pilgrims to this year’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Israel.

The screening is taking place at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Ikeja in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

Government officials in conjunction with the Police, Immigration and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, are carrying out the screening.

Speaking at the screening, Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Oyinlomo Danmole, also advised the intending pilgrims to steer clear of any act that could tarnish the image of the country in the Holy Land.

He urged them to use the period to call on God to intervene in the affairs of the country and they should do the nation proud in Jerusalem.

The commissioner said the screening of the intending pilgrims would be in batches and that the first flight to Jerusalem would be in November.

“We are advising them to persevere and be tolerant with government staff that will take care of their interest in Jerusalem,” he said.

Permanent Secretary, Home Affairs and Culture, Olufunmilayo Balogun, said the purpose of the pilgrimage was not for fanfare but to enable pilgrims uplift their spiritual life and have an encounter with Jesus Christ.

“Some people have gone to Jerusalem and come up with testimonies. The exercise is not for tourism, it is a spiritual affair. They are going to see Christ and by the time they come back to Nigeria, they will be better,” she said.

Executive Secretary, Lagos State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Bola Fashola, said the exercise is beyond tourist attraction, adding the pilgrims must prepare their minds for total spiritual rejuvenation.

She said gone were the days when pilgrims from Lagos absconded during the exercise., adding that a measures have been put in place to prevent such act.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga