TELLING
THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE 2017 HAJJ
By
Iddi Muhayu-Deen
Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca, is
indubitably, one of the greatest pillars upon which Islam is grounded. In fact,
it is not only a necessity for every Muslim to embark on Hajj but a mandatory
religious requirement providing there exists, the means. Some Islamic scholars
would even tell you that Muslims are challenged by their religious faith to, as
much as possible, create the necessary means that would take them to Mecca at
least once in their lifetime.
You go to Hajj and you have all your sins wiped off as
thou you are a newly born. This, you can only find in Hajj. That is why you see
Muslims exude so much passion when it comes to matters of Hajj. Give a Muslim
everything in this World and deny him Hajj and you will become his worst enemy.
On the other hand, give a Muslim good Hajj and deny him everything and you will
certainly become his best friend in this World. This goes to underscore the
unique significance and indispensability of Hajj in the life of a Muslim.
It is however a truism that the annual organization of
Hajj in Ghana, has since time immemorial, been fraught with plethora of
challenges ranging from non-availability of flights; to deplorable living
conditions at the Hajj Village; to the wanton neglect of the ordeal of
disgruntled prospective Hajj pilgrims among several issues. Last year for
instance, I dare say that, the challenges bedeviling the annual organization of
Hajj in our country, reached a crescendo. It was just a not not not, with
almost everything going bad.
It was so bad that the prospective Hajj Pilgrims at the
time had to come together and formed an Association of Disgruntled Prospective
Hajj Pilgrims to champion their cause through their spokespersons, Shehu Alwala
Abdi and Mohammed R. Abdul-Rahman. I recall vividly, the association organized
press conferences upon press conferences and issued countless statements on
their ordeals but the authorities never showed any concern. The then Tanko-led
National Hajj Board wouldn't attend to them. President Mahama wouldn't visit
and commiserate with them at the Hajj Village either; but of course, he would
go to the Tamale airport to play politics with Hajj at that very moment.
Whilst at it, the sad conditions of these disgruntled
prospective pilgrims at the Hajj Village were moving from bad to worse at each
passing moment with their exasperation growing geometrically. For instance, in
their statement of Thursday September 1, 2016, they accused the organizers of
the Hajj of deceit and inhumane treatment being meted out to them at the Hajj
Village in Accra. "We have been left stranded and wandering about
hopelessly at the Hajj Village under very deplorable condition.
Some of those from outside Accra are the most affected
because for more than a week, they have been forced to sleep in the open under
mosquito-infested canopies at the Hajj Village with a fading hope of catching a
flight," the stranded Hajj pilgrims stated in their press statement, which
was signed by their spokespersons, Shehu Alwala Abdi and Mohammed R.
Abdul-Rahman. They also questioned the basis for scheduling ONLY ELEVEN FLIGHTS
when the Hajj Authorities knew the exact number of paid-up members involved and
that, the eleven flights would not be able to contain all of them.
The stranded Muslims, in another development, accused the
Mahama government of deliberately flying businessmen and women, foreigners as
well as NDC footsoldiers under a so called protocol arrangement to Mecca at
their expense. This allegation was confirmed when some of these people,
numbering 39, who flew earlier were repatriated by the Saudi Authorities
because, among other reasons, they had traveled with some huge bags containing
items meant for trade rather than religious commitments; a claim, which was
confirmed by the then spokesperson of the National Hajj Board.
"It is very despicable how the aged have been left
to sleep in the open, when we have toiled to pay our money well in advance in
our quest to go and serve Almighty Allah," their press release intimated.
There were also media reports confirming that at least two people had lost
their lives at the Hajj Village same year. In the final analysis, a total of
452 prospective Hajj Pilgrims who had duly paid the required amount could not
make this all important pilgrimage. That’s how bad the situation was under the
NDC despite all their propaganda in respect of the organization of Hajj.
Following all of these seemingly intractable challenges
confronting the Ghanaian Muslim in his quest to legitimately practice his
faith, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, then, as NPP Running Mate in the buildup to the
2016 general elections, made a passionate appeal to Muslims in particular to
repose their trust and confidence in the NPP to better their lot. He appealed
to them to vote for the NPP because according to him, the NPP was the ONLY
party that could change their narrative especially with him, a Muslim, as the
Vice President. I remember very well that he was heavily criticized for suggesting
that the Presidency needed a fair balance to reflect the two dominant religions
in the country; i.e. Christianity and Islam.
But the good news is that, his innocuous wish came to
pass eventually and I would want us to, at this juncture, assess the extent to
which His Excellency the Vice President has been able to keep “his social
contract” with Ghanaian Muslims particularly regarding Hajj, which remains
their number one concern. He started by ensuring that a competent and
hardworking 11-member Board was appointed to competently steer the affairs of
Hajj. The Board is being chaired by Sheik I.C. Quaye with other notable names
like Alhaji Farouk Hamza of GRA, Kamal-Deen Abdulai of Nasara fame and aspiring
NYO of NPP, Alhaji Sumaila of the office of the Vice President and Alhaji Manaf
of the Saudi Embassy in Ghana.
This award winning team, I am happy to report, has not
only vindicated the confidence reposed in them but has also delivered what
would go in history, as the MOST SUCCESSFUL HAJJ in the history of Ghana. Gone
were those days when issues of Hajj occupied the front pages of our newspapers
for all the bad reasons during the annual pilgrimage. This year, the narrative
has completely changed owing to the illustrious works of the hardworking
members of the Hajj Board and His Excellency the Vice President. In fact, the
flight carrying the last batch of pilgrims has arrived from Mecca and that
effectively means that the 2017 Hajj is over with a lot of people not noticing
because the usual negatives associated with the organization of Hajj were
conspicuously missing in the year under review.
Even though, the current Hajj Board inherited a colossal
debt amounting to GHc31 million, they still managed to chalk this unprecedented
feat. For the first time in the history of Ghana, all the paid-up prospective
Hajj Pilgrims were successfully airlifted to Mecca without a single soul left
behind. The Board maintained the $3,500 which was paid last year and also
managed to clear all the backlogs from last year in respect of the paid-up
members (452 in all) who couldn’t make it to Mecca except the few who opted for
refund. They also supervised major renovation works at the Hajj Village and
constructed for the first time, a HAJJ CLINIC to attend to the health needs of
prospective pilgrims and their friends and family members. No wonder there
hasn’t been a single incident this year.
In all, there were as many as 14 flights, the highest in
the country’s history conveying over 6450 pilgrims to and fro Mecca without any
issue. I can go on and on and on but still, cannot finish telling the SUCCESS
STORY OF THE 2017 HAJJ. The hardworking members of the Hajj Board are certainly
deserving of commendations and more importantly, His Excellency the Vice
President, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia who has justifiably been VINDICATED. We are
very proud of you Mr. Vice President and the Nana Addo-led NPP government for
doing this great service to the Ghanaian Muslim and the Islamic faith for that
matter. May almighty ALLAH continue to overwhelm you with His bountiful
blessings and favours.
Assalamu alaik
Iddi
Muhayu-Deen
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