Accra, Jan. 14, GNA – The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday expressed concern “about the manner in which the Hajj Board has handled” this year’s Hajj pilgrims and called on the government to step in to save the situation.
“The NDC finds it most unacceptable that even after initial problems the pilgrims went through here in Ghana, especially at the Elwak Sports Stadium, over 700 people are still stranded in Jeddah airport as a result of non-payment of required fees by the Hajj Board. And yet the pilgrims claimed that they have completed all payment required of them,” said a statement signed by Mr. Bede Ziedeng, acting General Secretary of the NDC.
The Party held that these problems being suffered by the Ghanaian pilgrims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were not only an indictment on the country’s image, but also “a serious embarrassment”. It, therefore, asked the authorities to save the situation promptly.
The NDC called for a probe into the operations of the Hajj Board “after this disappointing organisation” in the bid to establish the real causes of the perennial problem.
The Party wished all pilgrims a blessing Hajj in the face of all the troubles they were going through.
Source: GhanaWeb
