Why Minister Moijueh Emmanuel Kaikai Deserves Credit
Sorry, he is now ALHAJI Moijueh E. Kaikai (in photo) and he deserves every credit that comes his way. I am not one for praise singing but sometimes, the conscience demands that praise should be given where praise is due. Alhaji Kaikai has earned his salt as Minister of Social Welfare. This year’s hajj has been described by many, as one of the best organised; so I heard.
Growing up as a kid, I used to remember terms like “Alhaji Nigeria, Alhaji Guinea, etc. In the past, Hajj affairs were left in the hands of unscrupulous people who masqueraded as “travel agents”. Flights were supposedly arranged on charter basis by these “agents”. The anxiety that accompanied those trips was unbearable; as travellers were never sure of their travel even though they were fully paid up. Stories about over booked flights, cancelled flights, “de plane broke don” were rife. We used to hear about would be pilgrims being left at transit airports all over the continent; hence the terms “Alhaji Guinea”, “Alhaji Dakar” etc. The state of the Hajj programme was so pathetic in this country that some Sierra Leoneans used to arrange their flights from neighbouring countries like The Gambia, Guinea, Senegal and even Ghana.
Thankfully this time, the government, in collaboration with the Saudi authorities organised a relatively smooth operation for this year’s Hajj. This is how it went: self sponsored travellers paid at the designated bank and presented their receipts and passports at the head office of the Social Welfare Ministry. An acknowledgement slip was given to the traveller, and this was presented at the medical facility in Cline Town; to undergo medical examination and obtain the “yellow card”. The traveller returned the passport and yellow card to the Ministry following which; visas are obtained en masse and on behalf of the travellers by the government. For obvious reasons, “Ashobees” and identity cards were issued for a fee.
This was followed by a two-day orientation session, to familiarise the travellers with what lay ahead and to answer frequently asked questions. It also helped to allay fears and anxiety as would be pilgrims are put through the procedure that lay ahead. The travellers then collected their registration document from the Ministry and assembled at the Africa Muslim Agency compound at Lungi before departure. It was the same for the government sponsored travellers who collected their proofs of sponsorship from Youyi Building.
It may sound simple but the effort from the Ministry and the Hajj Committee officials is commendable. It will be simplistic to conclude that there were no hiccups along the way. It takes a lot of human endeavour, patience, and a dose of sanity to organise such a massive congregation; when you consider that majority are aged and illiterate. Reports indicate that the pilgrims were orderly and represented the country in the best light. A big thank you must go to the medical staff, the Council of Imams, the drivers, airport staff, ferry staff and the people of Lungi. Alhaji kai Kai may have performed his civic duty as the Minister in charge, but kudos to him for heading and masterminding such a successful pilgrimage. While he was there in the Kingdom of Saud, he kept a running commentary on the goings on through face book. Travel arrangements and every segment of the hajj procedure were regularly updated with photos. That in itself was selfless and commendable. We hope that they will all have a safe and peaceful journey back home.
Who said that politics was show business for ugly people?
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