MUSLIM PILGRIMS MUST FLY DIRECT FROM TAMALE (PAGE 29)

SOME residents in Tamale have appealed to the government to ensure that Muslims who intend to embark on this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage from the northern sector of the country are flown directly from Tamale to Saudi Arabia.
They contended that since the facilities at the Tamale Airport have been upgraded to some appreciable levels, there would be no need for majority of the people from the three Northern and the Brong Ahafo regions to travel all the way to Accra.
The people described as embarrassing and dehumanising the treatment they were made to go through at the International Airport in Accra in order to fulfil one of the five pillars of Islam that is incumbent on any Muslim, who has the means and is capable of embarking on the Holy journey.
According to a Muslim cleric, Alhaji Abdul-Basit Idris, ‘‘during the Africa Cup of Nations in February this year, the South African team was flown directly from Johannesburg to the Tamale Airport at night; why can’t we also fly from Tamale to Saudi Arabia directly?’’
‘‘Indeed, the first time such a feat was chalked was in the 1970s, when pilgrims in the northern sector were flown directly from the Tamale Airport, where facilities were not as good as they are today; and so I am convinced that it can be done this time round too,’’ he added.
An Arabic Scholar, Sheikh Yakubu Abubakar, observes that Tamale is a predominantly Muslim society, and majority of pilgrims come from the Northern Region. Therefore, he wonders why governments over the years have not put in place the necessary arrangements for pilgrims to fly directly from Tamale.
‘‘This could save us the humiliation we undergo annually in Accra, especially our elderly mothers and fathers, who sometimes are not able to withstand the ordeal at the AFGO Village and the airport,’’ he stated.
Pastor Daniel Obeng, a Christian also added his voice to the appeal to the government and the Muslim leadership to ensure that those at the helm of affairs at the Hajj Committee lived up to their responsibilities and duties to ‘‘save our nation and Muslim brothers and sisters from further embarrassment this year’’.
The facilities at the rehabilitated Tamale Airport include a System Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) and Simple Approach Lighting Systems.
The runway has also been marked and demarcated, while some damaged portions have been patched.
The 2.4 kilometre runway is the second longest in the country after the Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
Other facilities are the modernised terminal and business and VVIP lounges.
The rehabilitation work on the Tamale, Kumasi and Takoradi airports, estimated at $45 million, started late last year. The four cities were venues for this year’s Ghana CAN 2008.