The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra: John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to decrease hajj fares when elected president to enable more Ghanaians to partake in the annual Islamic rite.

He bemoaned that the current Hajj fare, pegged at GH¢75000, was relatively too high for ordinary Ghanaians and, for that reason, would work to make it affordable.

“It is very difficult for the ordinary Muslim to perform the Hajj, but Insha Allah, if we win this election and we come into government, we are going to work to reduce the Hajj fare so that everybody can go,” he said during the Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah Eid ul Adha prayers held at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.

The former president’s promise of reducing hajj fares is the latest of pledges the flagbearer has made to Muslims on different occasions in the run-up to the 2024 elections.

They include the granting of additional holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr to enable Muslims to adequately celebrate the end of Ramadan; the establishment of Islamic colleges of education for the training of Islamic and Arabic teachers; and the conversion of the Ghana Hajj Board into a Pilgrims Authority that oversees the conduct of hajj and other pilgrimage-related activities in the country.

On the eve of Eid, Mr. Mahama conveyed his special message via social media, where he wished Muslims in Ghana a joyous occasion.

Mr. Mahama also encouraged Muslims to show compassion towards their families, the needy, and orphans in society.

He also urged Muslims to remember him in their prayers as he seeks to become the next president of the country.

“To those who have completed the Hajj, may Allah ensure their safe return. May Allah continue to bless our nation, Ghana, with peace. May Allah guide us through the forthcoming elections with success. On this occasion, I also seek your prayers that Allah will grant me victory,” he said.

Eid-ul-Adha, also known as “Baban Sallah” among the Hausa-speaking Ghanaian Muslims, is celebrated to remember the commitment of Prophet Ibrahim to Allah, which was exemplified in an unsuccessful attempt to sacrifice his son Ishmael based on Allah’s command.