Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has bid farewell to 230 intending pilgrims to Jerusalem, Israel, urging them to be good ambassadors to the state and country.

Zulum, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Malam Bukar Tijani, on Wednesday at the Wulari-Jerusalem EYN Church, said: “I thanked our Governor for facilitating this year’s Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Israel,” noting that despite the security challenges facing the state, the residents are currently living in peace and harmony.

The SSG therefore urged the intending pilgrims, comprising women and men, to be responsible ambassadors by exhibiting good behaviour and praying for Borno State and the nation while performing their pilgrimage in the holy land of Israel.

Tijani also emphasised the significance of good behaviours, peace, and harmony among the over 200 intending pilgrims.

He encouraged them to act as their brothers’ keepers and ambassadors of goodwill, underlining the necessity of prayers for Nigeria’s peace and the leaders of the state during their two-week pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

The Executive Secretary, Borno State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board (BOCPW), Elder James Rangi Ndirmbita, expressed appreciation to Zulum, his deputy, Usman Gadafur, and the Commissioner of Religious Affairs for facilitating this year’s pilgrimage.

Ndimbita highlighted the importance of such initiatives in promoting unity and spiritual growth within the state.

In a vote of thanks, Bishop John Bakeni, who serves as head of the pilgrims’ delegation and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), represented by Deputy Head, Rev. Iliya Ndirmbita, thanked the governor and his deputy for their people-oriented development projects and support that made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem a reality for the entire Christian communities.

He added that Christians in the State continue to peacefully coexist under the governor’s exemplary leadership.

Ndirmbita, therefore, vowed to pray for the state and its leaders while performing their pilgrimage.

Other dignitaries who bid farewell to the intending pilgrims included the Commissioner of Religious Affairs, Alhaji Babagana Malarima and other senior government officials.

The farewell bid-ceremony underscored the State Government’s commitment to the spiritual welfare of its citizens by encouraging pilgrims to demonstrate the values of peace, unity, and goodwill during the pilgrimage to Israel.

In other news, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has commenced the construction of two mega secondary schools in Hawul Local Government Area (LGA) to tackle out-of-school children and boost education service delivery to the people in the state’s south senatorial district.

A 48-classroom High Islamic College (HIMC) is also to be sited and built in the Shafa community along the Biu-Garkida-Gombi road.
Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony on Wednesday at Shafa, Zulum said, “The college, after completion, will operate under the accredited curriculum of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS),” adding that it was designed to provide a holistic and modern Islamic education in the south senatorial district.