Controversy over who organises 2008 Hajj

August 25, 2008 pg 49

Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Sahadatu Atintande

THE restructured National Hajj Council (NHC) has pegged this year’s Hajj fare at $2,999, amidst controversy over who has the mandate to organise the Hajj.
The restructured NHC was formed following the recommendation of a national conference on Hajj held in Accra early this year.
And only this week, the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, appointed a seven-member Interim Hajj Committee (IHC) to organise this year’s Hajj.
A letter from the National Chief Imam, dated July 14, 2008, said the appointment had been made to improve upon the efficiency of Hajj operations in Ghana and avoid unnecessary administrative costs.
The Co-ordinator of the Board of Trustees of the NHC, Mr Mohammed Frimpong, however, insisted at a press conference in Accra that it was only the NHC that had the mandate to organise this year’s Hajj, since it was formed by 10 stakeholder organisations, which have representatives on the Council.
He said the NHC had already made arrangements towards the successful organisation of this year’s Hajj, in terms of accommodation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aircraft, transportation and health care.
Mr Frimpong said the NHC would resist the attempt of the IHC to organise the Hajj, and threatened to take legal action against the members of the IHC, if they insisted on organising it.
He cautioned prospective pilgrims against paying their fare to any organisation other than the NHC, since it was the only mandated body to organise the Hajj.
Mr Frimpong argued that the NHC was able to organise a successful Hajj in the 2005/6 Hajj barely three months after its formation.
He promised to ensure transparency, accountability and best practice in the organisation of this year’s Hajj.
He said representatives of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service(CEPS), the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) were on the National Hajj Council.
He noted that the NHC would not abdicate its responsibility towards the 499 pilgrims who could not go on the 2006/2007 Hajj and would therefore like those affected to provide the council with the necessary information so that they could begin the process of addressing their case.
Mr Frimpong said the NHC would also support any effort that would find a redress for all those affected by the 2007/2008 Hajj failure, if the affected persons would provide information about themselves to enable them to take up the matter with the relevant authorities and key persons.
The Hajj fare package, which is an increase of $699 over that of last year, covers accommodation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, transportation, airfare, health care, education and miscellaneous expenses.
Mr Frimpong, who announced the package at a press conference in Accra on Friday, said the increase in the Hajj fare was necessitated by the soaring global fuel price, which is a major component in determining the cost of air ticket, especially for the Hajj.
Besides, he said, massive housing demolition work being undertaken in and around the Haram (Holy Mosque) in Mecca — the central area of the performance of Hajj — had contributed to the rise in the cost of accommodation.
However, Mr Frimpong said there were some favourable developments which had brought about the consideration by the government in assigning a Saudi designation to a local private airline operator, Antrak Air, to enable it to fly Accra-Jeddah and therefore carry out Hajj flights for Ghanaian pilgrims this year.