Veep visits Hajj Village; As first batch of pilgrims leave
The first batch of 450 Ghanaian pilgrims undertaking this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca left Accra yesterday without the usual hitches that characterised the exercise in the past.
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Five thousand five hundred and twenty-four Ghanaian pilgrims are expected to participate in this year’s spiritual exercise.
Vice-President’s visit
On a visit to the Hajj Village in Accra to acquaint himself with the level of preparation of the pilgrims, the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, expressed satisfaction with the hard work done by the Hajj Board to ensure the smooth organisation of the 2014 pilgrimage.
Addressing the pilgrims, he said the efficient organisation of this year’s exercise attested to how important the Hajj was to every Muslim in the country and the fact that the government sought to ensure that all Muslims were spiritually fulfilled.
Mr Amissah-Arthur, who wished the pilgrims well on their journey, expressed gratitude to the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Accra for efficiently processing the travel documents of the pilgrims in good time.
The Chairman of the Hajj Board, Alhaji Ibrahim Rauf Tanko, said arrangements had been made to ensure that the pilgrims were successfully airlifted to Mecca.
He stated that the package for this year included accommodation and transport, as well as meals, and added that all the pilgrims had been biometrically registered.
The Deputy Head of Mission at the Saudi Embassy in Accra, Mr Abdullah Naeef, donated a plaque to the Vice-President, while UniBank, the accredited bank that sealed the financial deals of the Hajj organisation, donated 5,000 waste bags to the pilgrims.
The Hajj Board had earlier conducted the Vice-President and the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, round facilities at the Hajj Village.
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