The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra – An agreement that was supposed to end three years ago with a group of Lebanese folks has now entered its eighth year due to a delay in releasing school property belonging to the Ghanaian Muslim community, said Alhaji Mohammed Gado.

According to the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the National Chief Imam, the property which currently houses the primary section of Al Rayan International School was built by Club Hijra, a nongovernmental organisation with support from the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank (ISDB).

He recalled that the NGO was started by some Ghanaian Muslim youth who wanted to champion the cause of education.

In that regard, the organisation sought help from ISDB to construct a one-storey building that would consist of a kindergarten and primary school.

Alhaji Gado who was speaking at the MUDI Hajj School in Accra indicated that the organisation managed to secure a parcel of land within the Airport area and the project was started on April 8 1995.

Upon completion of the project, the organisation was cash trapped and could therefore not furnish the facility to commence the school.

The situation he said led them to the Lebanese community in Ghana which by then had successfully established and managed the Ghana Lebanon Islamic Secondary School.

“What we wanted was to collaborate so we could benefit from those experiences. At the time we were talking, they were having a problem with their landlord and they were being asked to leave.

“They were building a new one and they hadn’t finished yet. So we said fine, we haven’t started at all. We will let you have our school which was completed. What we didn’t have were water and electricity” he said.

He indicated that a five-year agreement in the form of a contract was signed where the Lebanese were supposed to help finalise the development of the school.

Contrary to the agreement, the school which has also opened another campus at East Legon has refused to hand over the property to the Ghanaian Muslim community, three years after the contract had elapsed.

“We are now in the eighth year and we are now in court. This was something that we started in good fate to help our boys and girls… And they are now talking about us coming together in 2021” he added.

He also noted that the court proceedings which have been going on for over a year had been characterised by adjournment mostly due to the absence of the other parties to the case.