The first batch of 462 Muslim pilgrims from northern Ghana on Wednesday was airlifted from the Tamale International airport to Jedda, in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The pilgrims were flown by the Saudi commercial Airline, flynas.
In all about 2,802 pilgrims from the five region of the north are expected to fly directly from the Tamale international Airport from Wednesday 24 July to Sunday 28th July 2019, while the rest of the prospective pilgrims are to be flown from the Kotoka International Airport in Accra to Jedda.
A total of 6,100pilgrims are expected to be flown from Ghana to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage this year.
The Chairman of the National Hajj Board, Sheik I.C. Quaye, accompanied by the Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed; the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery and other government officials, saw off the pilgrims at the Tamale International Airport.
Sheik I.C. Quaye admonished the would-be pilgrims to be disciplined and law-abiding during their stay in Saudi Arabia where they would be undertaking spiritual duties.
The chairman assured the Ghanaian pilgrims that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure their welfare and security. These include serving them meals and deployment of security detail to ensure their safety in the holy land of Mecca.
“We’ve been to organize the grounds and we’ve been able to secure very good accommodation for pilgrims. When we talk about accommodation we mean five-star hotels and all that and so on, It’s not a joke at all” I.C. Quaye stated.
On his part, the Northern regional minister, Salifu Saeed commended the organizers for a good work done. He called on hajj prospective pilgrims from the north to pray for the region and the country at large.
Six flights have been scheduled to fly direct from the Tamale Airport to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Source : Diamondfmonline.com / Jacob
