Regional Chief Imams want Hajj Council dissolved

Kumasi, Feb. 7, GNA - The Regional Chief Imams of Ghana have called for the dissolution of the Hajj Council and the reconstitution of a new one to have an oversight responsibility of all issues concerning Hajj programmes in the country.

The religious leaders said they were of the conviction that such a measure would help to forestall the perennial frustration and nightmares Muslims go through at the hands of the present Council in their bid to embark on pilgrimages to Mecca.

Sheikh Mohammed Gazali Yakubu, spokesman for the group and Deputy Northern Regional Chief Imam said these at a press conference in Kumasi on Tuesday.

He said such a move would also ensure the decentralisation of the activities of the Council, with the view to ensuring sanity in the organisation of Hajj.

Sheikh Mohammed said 93We suggest that when reconstituted the new Council should include the Office of the National Chief Imam which would in partnership with government oversee all issues concerning the Hajj with the 10 Regional Imams being his (National Chief Imam's) agents in the various regions.

He noted that the current Hajj Council was a failure and that some members of the Council advanced their own interest instead of pursuing the overall mission statement of the Council and Muslims in general.

Sheikh Mohammed Gazali Yakubu, spokesman for the group and Deputy Northern Regional Chief Imam, observed that Muslims consistently went through hell of time before embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca. He cited that some 499 would-be pilgrims were last year disappointed due to the inactions of the Hajj Council.

Sheikh Mohammed called for the dissolution of the Committee of Inquiry set up to probe into the reasons that led to last year's poorly-organised Hajj.

He said 93We have realised that almost all the members of the supposed inquiry committee are also members of the organisations that make up the current Hajj Council. This in our opinion is bad since the committee's findings would not be the best as a result of conflict of interests".

Sheikh Mohammed suggested that the Office of the National Chief Imam should in collaboration with the Office of the Chief of Staff and Ministry of Presidential Affairs to set up a Committee of inquiry independent of all bodies, to initiate fresh probe into why the Hajj Council could not deliver as expected of it despite the non-interference of government.

Shiek Yakubu also suggested that the reconstituted committee should after its work submit the final report to the Office of the Chief of Staff and Ministry of Presidential Affairs for the right action to be taken.