AN ARTICLE FROM AN ANONYMOUS CONTACT WITHIN THE MINISTRY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS! The article is published verbatim.
DEBUNKING THE LIES SPEWED BY HAMAT BAH ON THIS YEAR’S HAJJ ARRANGEMENTS
“We thank God that this year, under the directive of His Excellency President Adama Barrow, all Gambian pilgrims will be housed in a five-star hotel, just a two-minute walk from the Kaaba in Mecca and from Medina. This has never happened before in our history,” he stated.
FACT CHECK 1: The name of the hotel in Mecca is NAWAZI HOTEL. The rating of this hotel is that it is a 3-star hotel. It is not a 5-star hotel; you can even check it out at booking.com. I tell you that Amat Bah is the biggest liar among Adama Barrow’s ministers.
FACT CHECK 2: Nawazi Hotel in Mecca is a 40-minute from Al Kaaba. Now, he tells people that it is only 1 or 2 minutes to walk, which is a big lie by Amat Bah. And check Google yourself. You will see the distance is more than 1.4 km. Even if you run, it will be more than 5 minutes. You see?
REMARK: I know this hotel. Amat did not tell the press that the hotel stood atop the mountain. Amat Bah did not care whether the people could climb the mountain. This hotel has two problems. It is far away, and the people will climb the mountain. This is not good for older adults and sick people you know. This is a big sin because people pay for good service, but Amat Bah eats their money and chooses a faraway hotel and a mountain in Mecca. Wallahi Allah is not sleeping.
Medina, they chose six hotels, and he said one. All of them are in different different places. Why, in Medina, he decided many, many hotels. Why? If his idea is everybody has to be together, why? The hotels do not even have classifications like 5-star or 4-star like no. I have all the information, but these hotels are not standard. Since COVID-19 time, these hotels have never had people. Is sad.
The minister highlighted the difficulties faced by Gambian pilgrims in previous years, explaining that they were previously scattered across 17 different locations, which complicated access to medical care.
“In previous years, doctors struggled to reach all the pilgrims in time. It could take them between 24 and 36 hours to attend to everyone. In cases of emergencies or evacuations, proper assessments could not be conducted due to the scattered accommodations,” he said.
FACT CHECK 3: In the past, every airline agency is asked to bring their doctors. So, good Gambian doctors are very hard-working, and the agencies select the best nurses. In the past, they have taken more than 15 doctors and nurses to Saudi Arabian agencies to look after the pilgrims. Under the Hamat Bah system, all Gambian pilgrims are in one area, with only eight doctors instead of the usual 15 doctors and nurses selected the previous year. This will affect the pilgrims’ medical services, but Amat does not care. Our people will be exposed to millions of pilgrims, but Hamat Bah does not seem to care much about them, the pilgrims.
Comparing the situation to neighbouring countries, Minister Bah noted that Senegal, with 13,000 pilgrims and Nigeria, with over 100,000, has always ensured their nationals stay in a single location for better coordination. With only 2,000 pilgrims, the Gambia had previously housed them in multiple locations, making medical and logistical support challenging.
FACT CHECK 4: Nigerian pilgrims are organised by the pilgrim welfare boards of each state. Each state will manage their pilgrims. So, pilgrims from Nigeria are scattered across different places in Mecca and Medina. The same thing happens in Senegal, but he will be there lying to the president. In Senegal, the airlines can choose the hotels for their pilgrims. Hamat Bah has exaggerated and misled the president and the listeners, including the imams.
Under this new arrangement, Gambian pilgrims will benefit from improved accommodations and enhanced access to healthcare and logistical support.
“Our pilgrims previously faced challenges regarding food, as they had to purchase their meals despite the costs they incurred. This year, we will bring our ingredients and travel with dedicated cooks to ensure that our pilgrims receive meals that suit their preferences,” he added.
FACT CHECK 5: All Hajj companies include food, which has been three meals daily in the past. They serve buffet to the pilgrims. The service is excellent because of the small groups for every airline company. And because of competition, companies always compete for the best to benefit from recommendations next year. This is the best system.
Minister Bah also announced a reduction in the cost of the Hajj pilgrimage for the first time in Gambia’s history, expressing gratitude to the Hajj Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all stakeholders who contributed to making the initiative successful.
FACT CHECK 6: The Hajj package is NOT reduced. They reduced the services. People are not fools. Pilgrims will know about this when they reach Mecca. The airlines are crying this year because the Hajj package is too low and cannot meet their expenditure.
“I sincerely appreciate the efforts of the Hajj Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all those who contributed to this process. We commend you for your dedication and hard work,” he stated.
Why did Amat Bah not tell the people that the government refused to sell US Dollars to airline companies like in the time of Yaya Jammeh? They did not do that. But Amat Bah made a deal with Wave International to buy Dollars for Hajj. This also increases the expenses because the dollar price is going up every day.
Currently, the airlines doing the Hajj this year are struggling financially. They all take loans from banks to pay their expenditures. Is sad.
Additionally, he informed President Barrow that all outstanding balances for the Hajj pilgrimage have been settled, ensuring a smooth process for the pilgrims.
Minister Bah also acknowledged The Gambia International Airlines’ role in facilitating pilgrims’ transportation.
“The Gambia International Airlines, which will be responsible for transporting our pilgrims, is a government agency. Any revenue generated from this process will ultimately benefit the country,” he concluded.
Your support means the world to us! Please follow our page to keep up with our latest posts, and don’t forget to hit that like button and share our content with your friends. Thank you for being a part of the OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM community. ANON contributed to the article on 01st April 2025! Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of TheOpenGambiaPlatform!
You can now write for the Open Gambia Platform, share information anonymously, and join the community. Please share your stories!
