Mr Samuel Egwuda, Executive Secretary, Kogi Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, said fare to Jerusalem may drop this year as Federal Government enters a bilateral air travels pact with Israel.
Egwuda said that President Goodluck Jonathan was in the process of signing the pact with Israeli.
He noted that presently, no Nigerian plane was allowed to fly pilgrims directly to the Holy land and stressed that the pact would reverse the situation.
He said the board had arranged pilgrimage to Israel into three stages per year, adding that Kogi State Board had keyed into the programme.
The phases, according to him, are February-March (Easter Pilgrimage); July-August edition (Family Pilgrimage); and October-December Christmas slot.
He said that though Kogi did not participate in the Easter edition this year, over 3,000 Nigerian pilgrims performed the religious rite.
Egwuda urged religious bodies and pilgrims to regard pilgrimage as a personal religious obligation aimed at spiritual rejuvenation and not wholly responsibility of government.
He described government intervention as a social responsibility and called for synergy to make it worthwhile and said that government alone could not sponsor every one to the holy land.
The Executive Secretary said for ease of payment, intending pilgrims could pay the fare in instalments but should only ensure that payments were completed before date of departure to the holy land.
He added that different fares were being charged for Jerusalem; Jerusalem/Italy and Jerusalem/Greece pilgrims.
He said pilgrims for the July 7 to August 31 (Family Pilgrimage) would pay N77O, 147.20 per couple.
He assured that although each pilgrim paid N422, 000 for the last October-December pilgrimage, the fare would be reduced this year after the bilateral pact with Israel.
