According to him, the premise for such calls is misplaced as the government only acts as a facilitator of the pilgrimage.

[contextly_sidebar id=”EzCrL0tZjix0XyOBc1frnMYwzKrcQL0o”]Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday [March 13, 2017], Alhaji Gomda said, “It is strange because the impression itself is wrong. The impression that government is heavily involved in the matters of the hajj. There is a limited involvement of government regarding this issue. The government doesn’t pay for pilgrims to go on hajj, people pay for themselves.”

A member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh, last week filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging government’s decision to build a national cathedral.

According to him, the government must not be engaged in religious affairs in the country, and therefore it’s assistance to Muslim pilgrims through the hajj board must be declared unconstitutional and illegal.

In his writ, he is seeking “a declaration that the decision of the Government of Ghana to purposely endorse, assist, aid, partly sponsor, and/or support the construction of a National Cathedral near the State House of Ghana, for Christian interdenominational church services amounts to an excessive entanglement of the Republic of Ghana and religion and therefore unconstitutional”.

He is also seeking “a declaration that the setting up of a Hajj Board by the Government of the Republic of Ghana for the purpose of coordinating, supporting and/or aiding Ghanaian Muslims to embark on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca”, is unconstitutional.

But according to Mr. Gomda, there is no challenge with government getting involved in the building of a national cathedral although the country is a secular state.

“Ghana is a secular state, but like the Christian Council has explained, I think we are exaggerating the whole thing. The government has not really provided money for the construction of that structure as being peddled.”

President Akufo-Addo on 6th March 2017 cut the sod for the construction of a national non-denominational Christian worship center.

According to Akufo-Addo, the lack of such infrastructure in the country prompted him to take the initiative which he said will serve a very important purpose for the Christian community in the country.

Some Ghanaians have however raised concerns with the president’s decision to undertake the project which will be funded by the Christian community in the country.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Nothing wrong with gov’t involvement in religious affairs – A. R Gomda appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The immediate past board confirmed in January 2017, that it left behind a debt of GHc23 million accrued from organizing the 2016 pilgrimage to Mecca.

[contextly_sidebar id=”yZRGiWXHQktEFJqoF1xzZ3Izm1oEXxdh”]In a Citi News interview, Sheikh I.C. Quaye said “the first thing that we trying to do is find money to be able to work through that. At the moment, we are in a fix because there is debt all over; in Saudi Arabia and here in Ghana as well.”

In the interim, he said the Board was not going to start litigation against persons complicit in the debt, although he assured such persons will be brought to book.

“The first thing is that, let us find the means by which we can open up. In fact, when I went there, I succeeded. They know me well, so we shall overcome,” Sheikh I.C. Quaye added.

It is as yet unclear how the NDC government accrued the debt, considering that about 452 prospective pilgrims did not make the trip, but were not refunded their monies.

Ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in 2016, each pilgrim was expected to pay $3,500 or its equivalent of GHc11, 900.

Sources in government have told Citi News that, Flynas, formerly Nas Air, a domestic and international low-cost airline based in Saudi Arabia, is owed the highest amount out of the GHc 23 million debt.

Officials of the current government fear that if the debt is not cleared, the 2017 pilgrimage could be hampered, because the airline, which is the country’s first and only budget airline, will not airlift pilgrims.

The airline, which has its head office located at Al Salam Centre in Riyadh, denied Ghana’s neighbour, Togo, a similar privilege in 2016, due to that country’s failure to settle its debts.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Hajj Board working to overcome GHc 23m debt – I.C. Quaye appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The spokesperson for the Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, in a Citi News interview, claimed that the 14-member committee chaired by Sheikh IC Quaye was partisan and devoid of the Chief Imam’s input.

[contextly_sidebar id=”4rHE1NGc5bYhECC8Fhnpp1B37mXsfdnz”]But reacting to the allegations, spokesperson for the National Hajj Board, Abdulai Rahman Alhassan Gomda said the Chief Imam had been in consultation with the Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia hence, those claims are false.

“I am surprised that the spokesperson for the National Chief Imam is claiming the National Chief Imam or his office is not in the know about the empaneling of the Hajj board. As I speak to you, I will inform you credibly that on Thursday at 9am, the national Chief Imam will be swearing into office members of the panel who make up the Hajj board.”

“Now how would you have such an important cleric swear in a body about which he did not even know about as the spokesperson is claiming. The Chief Imam has been in touch with the vice president of the Republic about this subject and as I speak to you, there is a member of the board who belongs to the office of the National Chief Imam, Mr. Mallam Inusah,” Mr. Gomda argued.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Chief Imam was briefed about new board – Hajj board appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This comes a few days after government released a 14-member committee chaired by former New Patriotic Part (NPP) Member of Parliament and Minister Sheikh IC Quaye.

Some regional Chief Imams have reacted to the names saying there was no consultation to include regional representatives.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KMCRvizEpwDajZQARbDts6Pp0nGicHgL”]Speaking to Citi News, spokesperson for the Chief Imam, Sheik Aremeya Shaibu said even the Chief Imam was not consulted before the announcement was made.

“It appears to me that the board has been rashly been composed without taking time to study the structure and the outcome of the work of the previous committee so we can learn the lessons from there. I would have wished that it would have been a bit more of looking at a structure, putting in place a certain interim Hajj board that will not be directly involved in the management and then you put in place an interim management that would be accountable to the interim board of trustees so that there would be some form of accountability.”

He explained that the defect in the previous board bothered on “accountability transparency” he said “was completely absent” and too partisan.

Sheik Shaibu further observed from all indications “It appears to me that there is going to be a repeat of that and that is my worry.”

This he said is because “even with the Chief Imam’s office, as far as I know, I am not aware of any such consultation. I served on the advisory board of the National Chief Imam, the opportunity would have been for us to also see and know those people who have been put in place.”

He also explained that the Chief Imam and his team bares no grudges against the current board but their worry “is more of procedure on how it has been composed and ones the Chief Imam has not been brought into the picture directly, the way we expect, then we are unable to comment even on the political background of the people.:

Meanwhile the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Harun is suggesting that the board be dissolved and re-constituted to include regional representatives.

“It will allow for all the Regional Imams to be informed. We don’t want some people to blame the government and say that the government doesn’t like moslems and that is why some people couldn’t perform Hajj,” he explained.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Farida Shaibu/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post We weren’t consulted about new Hajj board – Office of Chief Imam appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin indicated that the President had appointed 14 persons to serve on the board.

[contextly_sidebar id=”TpQNZu5gHEJZUcDKhYdNDGEKKp4pfup5″]The 14 members include a medical head, head of communications and head of I.T.

Others members on the board includes the National Coordinator of Nasara wing of the New Patriotic Party, Kamal-Deen Abdulai

Below is the list of members of the board;

1. Sheikh I.C. Quaye (Chairman)
2. Abdul Malik Adams Gariba (Member)
3. Mr. Farouk Hamza (Member)
4. Sheikh Amin Bonsu (Member)
5. Alhaji Inusa Amadu (Member)
6. Mr. Kamal-Deen Abdulai (Member)
7. Ismaela Ibrahim (Member)
8. Mohammadu Osmanu Alidu (Member)
9. Mohammed Osumanu Yunusah (Member)
10. Mr. Braimah Adams (Member)
11. Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed (Member)

The others are;

1. Dr. Seidu Zakaria (Head, Medical)
2. Abdulai Rahman Alhassan Gomda (Head, Communications)
3. Dr. Sani Abduai (Head, I.T.)

The appointment of the 14 persons to serve on the board comes at a time when there is a reported debt of $23 million on government from the previous administration.

Sources in government told Citi News that, Flynas, formerly Nas Air, a domestic and international low-cost airline based in Saudi Arabia, is owed the highest amount out of the larger sum.

The situation has cast doubt over the smooth process for this year’s pilgrimage since the airline may refuse to airlift Ghanaian pilgrims.

It is unclear how the immediate past National Democratic Congress government accrued the debt. Each pilgrim for the 2016 Hajj was expected to pay $3,500 or its equivalent of GHc11, 900.

Meanwhile the immediate past Chairman of the National Hajj Committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdul has said that his administration will give a full account of the situation to the new Hajj committee that will be taking over from them, explaining that some debt has been left but it was not new and alarming, as far as organizing Hajj in the past is concerned.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post I.C. Quaye appointed chairman of new Hajj board appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.