Prez Mahama joins Muslims to thank Allah for successful 2014 Hajj

The government is to establish a permanent Hajj transit quarters in Accra, President John Dramani Mahama has announced. This follows a request made by Muslim leaders to the government for the facility to further improve the conditions of pilgrims who go on the Hajj to Mecca.

President Mahama made this known when he joined the Muslim community at a thanksgiving service for a successful 2014 Hajj at the Hajj Village in Accra yesterday.

The service attracted a number of Muslim leaders, including the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu.

The President said the government would work with Muslim leaders to identify a suitable site for the project. 

More than 5,000 Muslims undertook the pilgrimage, but, unfortunately, seven of them, including a High Court judge, could not return home, as they lost their lives after completing their Hajj rituals.

History 

Taking a trip down memory lane, President Mahama recalled the difficulties that confronted prospective pilgrims in the past.

"Conditions were simply bad and unacceptable; many slept in unhygienic conditions, while many were left stranded.

"For many years, the dignity of Muslims was undermined during the organisation of the Hajj because of the terrible conditions," he said.

He said it was that situation that prompted the late President J. E.A. Mills to commission him (Mahama) when he was the Vice-President to see how those challenges could be solved.

President Mahama said the search for a solution to the problem brought into being the establishment of the Hajj Village. 

Today, he said, many of the challenges that confronted pilgrims had been eroded.

He underscored the importance of the Hajj as the fifth pillar of Islam and said it was an event every Muslim wished to be part of at one time or another.

No complacency 

While commending the Hajj Committee for doing a very good job, the President asked the members to avoid complacency in future programmes.

He gave an assurance that the government would work with the committee to ensure that the problems associated with the acquisition of passports for prospective pilgrims were addressed.

He mentioned the national mosque which was under construction in Accra and said he looked forward to its completion and inauguration.

Hajj Chairman 

In his welcoming address, the Chairman of the Hajj Committee, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, described Hajj 2014 as one of the best ever organised in the country.

He stated that the success story would not have been possible without the contribution of stakeholders and others who had the Hajj at heart and expressed the hope that the few challenges, including the acquisition of passports, that confronted  pilgrims would be corrected during the next Hajj.