It has emerged after our checks into a story carried by joy fm last night on top story, alleging that Ghanaian pilgrims are stranded in mecca a day after the president showered praises on the hajj committees chairman and the team for organising the best hajj ever, that the story was merely based on a phone call from anonymous people claiming to be Ghanaian pilgrims who were stranded and refused food in mecca.
For the avoidance of doubt the Ghanaian hajj committee is responsible for only about 5400 pilgrims who paid to it.
However there are over 1000 Ghanaians in mecca who are either resident in Saudi Arabia or have travelled from other parts of the world to perform this year's hajj.
These people are not the responsibility of the Ghanaian hajj authority.
We will like to emphasis that to the best of our knowledge after checking since the story broke that NO Ghanaian pilgrim under the supervision of the hajj committee is stranded in mecca.
Without suggesting editorial incompetence we will like to encourage all our colleagues in the media to be more thorough especially when anonymous people call into their newsrooms to make allegations.
We are grateful to HE the president for his acknowledgement of our committee's effort at adding to the improvements the hajj organisation has witnessed in recent years.
We will also like to assure our clients and their families that insha Allah everything is being done to ensure the pilgrims comfort. It is expected that the first return flight will be on 26th Oct 2013.
signed
Alhassan Suhuyini
Communications Director
Hajj Committee 2013
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