Rev Bishop Dami Mamza, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Adamawa State, has accused Rev. Yakubu Pam, the Executive Chairman of Christian pilgrims Commission (NCPC) of financial misappropriation.
He accused Pam of having “character deficit” and was unsuitable to be appointed to head the NCPC.
Mamza, who’s the Catholic Bishop of Yola, made these allegations on Thursday, during a press briefing at the Catholic Secretariat Yola.
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He called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to investigate the NCPC.
He accused Pam of sabotaging plans by the Adamawa Pilgrims Commission to organize a smooth pilgrimage for selfish reasons, noting that after taking over the operations, he messed it up.
He said, “What do you expect from somebody that has been sacked from his church? And then he is given that kind of appointment. He is a disappointment to Christians. If you are going to give someone appointment even if it is a political appointment, find out the track record of that person. This is someone that has no church. Assemblies of God Church has sacked him and FG appointed him. This is an embarrassment.
“We cannot continue to keep silent. We don’t know what will happen because even the chairman of the commission said that Christian Pilgrimage should be suspended. I saw letters by the chairman asking Yakubu Pam to explain things. So, things are not in order.
“And I want to call on SGF, I understand that the commission is under his office to investigate the activities of Yakubu Pam. There are a lot of wrongs going on there and he seems to be single-handedly working because even of recent, the chairman of the commission issued a letter of being not involved in anything at the Commission.”
Mamza complained that the CAN in Adamawa is being short-changed by the Pam led commission.
According to him, the Adamawa state government under the leadership of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri was able to make arrangements for Christian pilgrims to go to Rome in large numbers.
He said the state government gave adequate resources in other for the activities of the pilgrimage to take place. But the NCPC did nothing.
“When we came back, I didn’t want to say anything because I want to reflect on the experience we passed through and since then for the past six months my conscience has been bordering me regarding the activities that are taking place at the Nigerian Christians pilgrimage commission under the leadership of Rev. Yakubu Pam.
“The pilgrimage that we went to Rome, if I was not the team leader, Adamawa State citizens would have been stranded in Rome and they would have been left in the Nigerian embassy in Rome.
“The pilgrims arrived Rome, and some of us have no rooms to stay, no buses and no arrangement was made for people to move from one place to the other,” he alleged.
He said it was his effort that saved the situation there, adding that he made arrangements so that the pilgrims could have audience with the Pope and the holy father.
The holy father, he said, recognized and acknowledged the presence of over 100 pilgrims from Adamawa State and so they were delighted as that was the only good thing that went well during the pilgrimage.
Mamza said, “Some pilgrims actually went to the pilgrimage and spent just one night and they have to come back the following day because no accommodation was provided and there was no feeding. In fact, I have to go to the Vatican bank to withdraw money from there and started making arrangement for accommodation for some pilgrims because the NCPC collected the money and didn’t make any arrangement.
“There was no proper pre-visit before we went and the pilgrims that were supposed to stay a minimum of one week , spent only few days. Those that spent long time are those that spent five days. I use my own resources for people to stay for three days so that they will have the feeling of Rome.
“We had three first class traditional rulers and accommodation was not proper and no feeding. They were made to become liability for everybody, and everybody was a liability. I decided to keep quiet for the next pilgrimage to take place,” he said.
He also accused Pam of sabotaging plans by Adamawa pilgrims commission to organize a smooth pilgrimage for selfish reasons, noting that after taking over the operations, he messed everything up.
“The first arrangement we made was perfect but Yakubu Pam frustrated it because money did not go through him. He came severally to Adamawa State and people begged him to allow us to go. He insisted and even wrote to Italian embassy to deny us visa and then at the end of the day everything was submitted to him and he got us int this mess,” he alleged.