The Hajj is the fifth and final pillar of Islam, and it is the obligation of every Muslim to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in their lives if they can afford it and are physically able.
During Hajj, pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge in Mecca in the week of the Hajj.
They perform series of rituals where each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Ka'aba (the cube-shaped building and the direction of prayer for the Muslims), runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, spends a night in the plain of Muzdalifa, and performs symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars.
Unfortunately, the running of this important spiritual exercise has not been smooth at all, especially in Africa. For instance, in 2007, 6,000 Nigerians could not make the Hajj even though they had their airline tickets for Saudi Arabia.
In the same year, 3,000 Ghanaian pilgrims faced a similar plight. Also, some 1,500 pilgrims from Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo got stranded at Dar es Salaam Airport for ten days.
The good news in Ghana, however, is that under the high-end leadership of His Excellency former President John Dramani Mahama, Muslims enjoyed an almost problem-free Hajj.
No pilgrim was stranded in Ghana from 2013 till the time he left office. He built a Hajj Village with modern facilities to make Muslims much more comfortable.
To forestall a situation whereby some pilgrims lost their lives in previous trips through ill-health, pilgrims went through stringent medical checks at the Hajj Village before embarking on the trip. Also, doctors and nurses accompanied every flight that left the shore of Ghana.
Another thing of considerable interest is the Mahama government's expansion work on the Tamale Airport into an international one which made it possible for our Muslim brothers and sisters from the northern part of the country to comfortably fly from Tamale to Mecca.
To further demonstrate his love for Muslims, President Mahama made it a tradition to see first flight of pilgrims of every Hajj off when he was president. This is absolutely fantastic and Muslims will forever be grateful to him.
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Former President John Dramani Mahama