National Hajj Council calls for probe into Interim Mgt. Committee operations

The leadership of the National Hajj Council (NHC) has called for an independent investigative body to probe the current mismanagement, embezzlement, and other financial malfeasance perpetrated by the Interim Hajj Management Committee (IHMC).

According to the National Hajj Council, the IHMC incurred cumulative debts of about $20 million, while a $68,000 debt on accommodation, owed the Barnawi landlords in Saudi Arabia, the unpaid $190,000 debt owed to a Nigerian Airline, and the $2 million bail-out money given by the previous government to the IHMC and others, have not been accounted for.

The NHC stated that last year the luggage of the about 600 Hajj pilgrims had not yet arrived, and also the IHMC had failed to refund fare package monies to over 100 failed pilgrims in 2008, saying “all these constitute a serious indictment of the IHMC,” and called for a probe of its operations, which the previous government failed to do.

Speaking to some journalists at a press conference over the weekend, the National Coordinator of the National Hajj Council, Alhaji Frimpong Mohammed, appealed to President John Evans Atta Mills, as a matter of urgency, to institute a probe into the operations of the IHMC, since the taxpayers monies paid to the committee have to be accounted for.

In addition to this, Alhaji Mohammed urged H. E. the Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, to ensure that his government's commitment to fighting corruption, embezzlement and mismanagement in the governance of the country, was carried into the organisation of the Hajj, and not to shield wrongdoers.

He appealed to the Vice President, as a matter of urgency, to disassociate himself from the Muslims in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party who were bent on hijacking the Hajj organisation, as some New Patriotic Party (NPP) members did in the Kufuor-led administration, which caused a lot of wanton problems, which are yet to be resolved.

He observed, “All these malpractices have been perpetrated by people in the name of the National Chief Imam, who is a very worried person over these unresolved issues. It is unfortunate that certain individuals within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party are trying again to use his name and his office to hick-jack the upcoming Hajj, and thereafter abandon him when it comes to the crunch.”

Alhaji Mohammed therefore called on Muslims in the country, to disregard any claims that the government had given the mandate to a particular person or group of persons to manage and organise this year's Hajj.

He advised Muslim politicians to leave the organisation of the Hajj alone for the Muslim community to be part of the management of the Hajj, through the legitimate body mandated to do so, and urged self-seeking Muslim politicians to insulate our religious institutions from their bad politics.

The National Coordinator noted that the change H. E. President Atta Mills promised Ghanaians could only be realised for Muslims if the members of the party, especially the Muslims in leadership positions, would act in a manner that would ensure transparency, accountability, and best practices in the management and operations of the Hajj.

Alhaji Mohammed used the occasion to announce a provisional 2009 Hajj Fare Package of $3,000, $100 less than last year's fare package.

He urged prospective pilgrims that details of the payment processes and the bank to be used, the aircraft, and the accredited agents, would be published in the Ghanaian dailies.

Alhaji Mohammed therefore assured prospective pilgrims and the Muslim community that the National Hajj Council would continue to operate on the principles of transparency, accountability, and best practices, in order to ensure a successful 2009 Hajj and beyond, similar to or better than the 2005 Hajj exercise.

Indeed, the mandate to manage the Hajj in Ghana, since September 2005, has been vested in only the National Hajj Council (NHC).

The Council is on record as having organised the best, most successful, most hitch-free, and even most lucrative Hajj in 2005, in which it recorded a modest gain of $15,000 plus net profit, after servicing part of a GH¢370 million debt created by previous Hajj Boards.