Year 2015 Christian Pilgrimage: Purchase of Pilgrims Travelling Allowance

CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA Corporate Head Office Central Business District P.M.B. 0187, Garki, Abuja, FCT TRADE AND EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT 09 46237804 09 46237802 E-mail address:ted@cenbank.org TED/FEM/FPC/GEN/01/019 October 07, 2015 TO: ALL AUTHORISED DEALERS AND GENERAL PUBLIC YEAR 2015 CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE: PURCHASE OF PILGRIMS TRAVELLING ALLOWANCE The Authorised Dealers and the general public are hereby notified of the following arrangements in respect of the year 2015 Christian pilgrimage to Israel/Rome or Greece.

1. The Federal Government has approved the purchase of a maximum of US$1,000.00 (One thousand US Dollars only) at a concessionary rate of N160.00 to the US Dollar by each intending pilgrim as Personal Travel Allowance (PTA). Consequently, each pilgrim travelling to Israel is entitled to maximum of $750.00, while those going to Israel/Rome or Greece are entitled to a maximum of $1,000.00 2. No pilgrim should be denied the travel allowance on the ground that he/she has no Tax Clearance Certificate. In view of the time constraint associated with the pilgrimage exercise, the Chairman or the Secretary of each State Pilgrims' Board, after due identification, may be allowed to sign for and collect the PTA on behalf of the intending pilgrims in his/her State on presentation of the approved list and valid passports of the pilgrims listed against the state.

2. In accordance with the Israeli and Italian Governments' Policies, visa shall only be issued to the pilgrims at the point of entry, that is, at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel and Fumichino Airport, Rome, Italy, on arrival. It should also be noted that the pilgrimage will be by chartered flights.

3. Therefore, in view of paragraph 3 above, air ticket and visa requirements for the purpose of procuring the stipulated PTA have been waived. However, an endorsed copy of each pilgrim's passport should be retained by the bank for record purposes.

fral BANK OF NICE 5. The following schedule shows the list of the States and the choice of banks assigned for the purposes of procuring the PTA:

S/NO	STATES	ISRAEL	ROME	TOTAL	CHOICE
OF BANK
1	ABIA	400	400	UNION
BANK
2	ADAMAWA	900	100	1000	ZENITH
BANK

3	AKWA IBOM	1600	200	1800	UBA
4	ANAMBRA	1000	200	1200	UBA
5	BAUCHI	500	200	700	ZENITH
	BANK
6	BAYELSA	400	100	200	ZENITH
	BANK
7	BENUE	800	800	UNITY
	BANK
8	BORNO	400	100	500	ZENITH
	BANK
9	CROSSRIVER	200	100	300	FIRST
	BANK
1300	1300	ZENITH
10	DELTA	BANK
1 I	EBONYI	400	100	500	UNION
	BANK
12	EDO	200	200	STERLING
	BANK
13	EKITI	200	100	300	ZENITH
	BANK
14	ENUGU	400	100	500	FIRST
	BANK
15	FCT	1000	200	1200	UBA
1 e	GOMBE	400	100	500	FIDELITY
	FIRST
17	KATSINA	100	200	600	BANK
18	KADUNA	1200	300	1500	ZENITH
	BANK

6. The designated banks shall render returns in respect of actual sales to the Director, Banking & Payments System Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja, within two (2) weeks from the end of the exercise (i.e. from the date of the last departure flight from Israel/Rome or Greece).

Thank you.

5 O. L. AHUCHOGU (MRS.) For: DIRECTOR TRADE AND EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT