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| 2012 Hajj Mecca |
THE SPOKESPERSON for the Hajj Council, Alhaji Halidu Haruna says only twenty persons who paid to embark on this year’s pilgrimage failed to do so.
He was reacting to a commentary on Kumasi’s Zuria Fm by the News Editor of TG to the effect that the figure was in the hundreds as he gathered.
He said the Hajj Council cannot be blamed for the inability of the 20 persons to be airlifted because according to him “some of them were attached to males with whom they were expected to travel with as per Saudi regulations but such males had left them behind. Under such a situation the airlines are reluctant to carry them because of the challenges they could face at the hands of the Saudi authorities.”
Others too he said withheld airfare payments but quickly turned round to pay when they realized things were moving smoothly. Such persons he continued “are those who go and see highly placed persons to come and intervene creating problems for us.”
He took a swipe at those he said were trying to damage the image of the Hajj Council pointing out that “for airlifting 5700 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia we should be commended rather condemned as some people are trying to do.
Such people do not do the right things such as paying on time yet they go to radio stations and say all sorts of things against the Hajj operations.
Call such persons and ask them when they made payments,” he demanded adding “we are ready to refund those whose monies are with us.”
As a human institution he went on “we cannot be totally perfect.”
As to whether the curtains have been pulled over this year’s Hajj operations or not he said he could not tell because he was yet to receive briefings to that effect from the authorities.
The climax of the Hajj falls on Friday, a national holiday for Muslims in Ghana.
Those who could not make it to Saudi Arabia this year have returned to their various homes hoping that next year they may make it.
One of them who gave his name as Yahuza said “I have collected my money and I’m on my way to Yendi having spent 18 days in Accra.”
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