By Muhammed Faisel Mustapha
Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board, Sheikh I.C. Quaye has assured Muslims and prospective pilgrims this year’s pilgrimage to Mecca will be very more successful.
According to him, the Board has made arrangements to ensure successful and stress-free pilgrimage.
Sheikh I.C. Quaye gave the assurance at an orientation organized by the Ghana Hajj Agents Association in collaboration with stakeholders from various sectors including the Hajj Medical and the Dahwa teams among others.
He indicated that issues on transportation, accommodation and feeding have been taken care of to ensure comfort of pilgrims.
He disclosed that Saudi Arabia authorities have provided brand new luxurious buses to ferry Ghanaian pilgrims to and from various destinations during the hajj activities.
Accommodation, he said, has been secured and advised prospective pilgrims to abide by the rules during allocation of the rooms. He stated that pilgrims will be fed variety of food while in Mecca.
He said, “The board has made all necessary arrangements to ensure the comfort and well being of pilgrims before, during and after the Hajj rites.”
On security, Sheikh I.C Quaye stated that the board has over the years been confronted with peculiar challenge where Ghanaians in the Diaspora take over hotels and other facilities meant for the pilgrims who travelled from Ghana.
This, according to him, prompted the board to request for its own security personnel from Ghana to curb the situation, which Saudi Arabia Authorities have accepted.
The board, he said, will deploy the services of selected security agents from immigration, police, military and the fire service, who have undergone training and orientation at Bundase on how to work as a team.
“The services of security personnel during last year’s Hajj helped the board hence the need to take them through orientation and training”.
He revealed that activities of pilgrims who travel on their own create wrong impression that Ghanaian pilgrims get stranded in Mecca when that is not the truth.
Meanwhile, the advance team of the Ghana Hajj Board had earlier took the lead to prepare the grounds for this year hajj pilgrimage.
However, the first flight to 2019 Hajj exercise will commence on Wednesday, July 24 this year.
6000 Ghanaians excluding the Hajj Board team and the some selected security Agencies are slated to perform 2019 Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.
