Hajj Village Under Unfair Attack

The upgrade of Hajj Village, a facility that had existed for decades and serves as a passage for Muslim pilgrims, is all of a sudden today a center of attraction and a subject of severe criticism, albeit unfairly from some individuals and groups of people in Ghana.Notable among these individuals include Daniel Yaw Domelovo, former auditor general, Kwame A Plus, a member of parliament, Vincent Ekow Assifuah, NPP member of parliament, Osei Nyarko, also NPP member of parliament and a host of others.

As It is within the right of these individuals as citizens to criticize the project and to suggest its halt, is also as well within the right of fair-minded citizens to point to these individuals' poor judgment of comparison, political equalization, desperate search for neutrality and relevance, and mere hatred in the case of others and to insist on its continuation.

Hajj is an activity that involves the mass immigration of citizens of a foreign country into Saudi Arabia within a specific period, and Saudi Arabia doesn't deal with individual pilgrims but the government of the countries of these pilgrims. Is not by choice but a duty to the government of Ghana like any other country in the world to facilitate a secure and safe travel of these citizens. To prevent overcrowding, stampede, and passing out which could lead to inconvenience to other travelers, a separate departure terminal is established for Hajj pilgrims to achieve order, serenity and convenience for these travelers and officers. These pilgrims are made up of thousands of people from all over Ghana including faraway villages who troop into Accra and spend several days at the airport before their departure due to no fault of theirs. Because of this situation that the travelers find themselves, is only reasonable that a place of convenience is added to the facility for their use. This is well deserved by them as citizens of Ghana and taxpayers.

Who are those comparing the botched National Cathedral Project with the Hajj Village? On this issue, excuse me for saying that while Daniel Yaw Domelovo, Kwame A Plus etc are desperately searching for neutrality status and relevance, Osei Nyarko, Vincent Ekow Assefuah and some NPP guys are fighting for political equalization and a host of others whose criticism is pure hatred. Meanwhile, the 58 million dollars used just to dig the Akuffo Addo's Cathedral pit can build 10 Hajj Villages.

First of all, while the National Cathedral was a personal pledge of Akuffo Addo to his god, the Hajj Village is a state service to a section of Ghanaians to facilitate their safe travel abroad which they are entitled to as taxpayers. While the National Cathedral, a promise made by Akuffo to his god is a spontaneous, unplanned and unbudgeted project with no dedicated source of funding even though state resources were been used for its construction, the Hajj Village has been in existence for decades with routine activities that have been managed and benefited by the state and every government since Nkrumah's, has put measures in place to improve the facilitation of traveling activities of these pilgrims, first of all as Ghanaian taxpayers before Muslims, which is a duty of the state towards its citizens. While government structures including the newly constructed bangalore of Judges and, a foreign embassy which cost the state billions were razed to the dust just to site a National Cathedral, no chicken coup was removed to make way for Hajj Village. In any case, why should travelers passing through the Terminal 3 be given all the necessary comfort and safety without protest, but when this same treatment is given to those traveling through the Hajj Village arrangement be a problem just because they are Muslims?

I hear some religious bigots attacking the project and calling on Christian leaders to speak up against the Hajj Village since they spoke against the Akuffo Addo's Cathedral. This call is simply out of hatred by those who think they find a good reason to attack the beliefs and activities of Muslims in Ghana. All indication shows that these haters have a short memory to remember that the National Chief Imam is one of the earlier contributors who donated Ghc100,000.00 to the project. So with this gesture, Christian leaders with good conscience cannot attack the project, more so when no renowned Imam ever came out to condemn the construction of the Akuffo Addo's National Cathedral.

Now to the likes of Osei Nyarko, Vincent Assefuah and their NPP folks who are trying so hard although laughable and impossible to equate the unconscienable construction of Akuffo Addo's Cathedral which was bridled with corruption with the well intent, transparent and profitable construction of Hajj Village for the section of Ghanaian travelers (pilgrims). When John Dramani Mahama cut sod for the construction of Hajj Village, quickly was the response of Amin Anta, former minister of Finance under the ex while Akuffo Addo's administration, that Akuffo Addo and the NPP government had started it already. If indeed the claim of the former Finance minister is true, why then these double-faced NPP elements were quiet or agreed that it was a viable project well deserved by Muslims, only to say is a waste of resources and discrimination against Christians just because they could not get away with their thievery using the Akuffo Addo's Cathedral as a disguise?

It is also clear to reasonable observers that Mr. Yaw Domelovo's criticism of the Hajj Village is either a desperate search for NEAUTRALITY status from some section of Ghanians, or is simply out of hate. Why should a learned and experienced man of his calibre failed to take into consideration the points I raised above before making such a provocative statement that Hajj Village Construction is waste of state resources? Was Domelovo in Ghana when GNPC's money was given to a chief in Kyebi to celebrate his birth day?

I will call on His excellency John Dramani Mahama to halt the Hajj Village project on the condition that hence fourth no peswa of state will be spent on the activity of any tradition or culture of any ethnic grouping, religious activity of any faith and the activity of any identifiable group of people and individuals, unless the project is for the benefit of all Ghanaian citizen. I am also appealing to well to do Muslims to come out and take over the project from the state using their own resources; which I know an individual can do it without any financial stress.

I Shall Return.
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farukismail891@gmail.com

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