The Sierra Leone Embassy which temporarily relocated from its Olaya District offices in Saudi Arabia’s largest city, Riyadh, early last month to about 1,200 kilometers in the second largest southern city, Jeddah, has this week returned to base.
During its 40 days stay in its Falasteen Street Secretariat in Jeddah, the Embassy, under the leadership of H.E. Ambassador Wusu Munu (second from right with Saudi businessmen), took up their national duties by rendering essential hajj services to the Sierra Leonean pilgrims.
Minister Counsellor/Head of Chancery, Ibrahim S. Yilla says the relocation of the Embassy to the strategic city of Jeddah helped the Embassy to come out with a coherent planning, thus, making this year’s Hajj successful. The relocation, he continues, also helped in facilitating our obligations to the 537 pilgrims, including a special delegation led by our Foreign and International Co-operation Minister, Haja Hawa Zainab Bangura, who were hosted at the Conference Palace in Jeddah under the auspices of the Saudi Royal Protocol.
For his part, First Secretary, Eric Gamanga , “the relocation also helped in making our routine visits easier to pilgrims in Madinah, Makkah, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.”
Yilla however paid special tribute on behalf of the Ambassador and Staff to the Sierra Leone nationals in the Kingdom, including students from Madina and Makkah, the Da’awa Committee in Riyadh and all those who contributed in diverse ways to the success of this year’s Hajj.
“We wouldn’t have succeeded without the cooperation of our nationals,” Yilla reiterated. He thanked the pilgrims, the Hajj Mission, Hajj Agents and Medical team that accompanied the pilgrims for the cooperation they gave to the Embassy.
It could be recalled that the Embassy had earlier on called on all its nationals to work collaboratively in making this year’s Hajj successful for Sierra Leonean pilgrims. The clarion call was made at a well attended meeting at the Chancery Building on Friday, 30th October, 2009 to strategize the running of this year’s Hajj. The meeting identified various areas connected with the Hajj that need to be addressed in collaboration with the Hajj Agents before the pilgrimage, namely: – Transportation, ‘Tawaaf’, Servicing of Pilgrims, Care Takers of Tents at Mina, Stoning of the Devil at ‘Jamaraat’, ‘Dawaah’ Activities, Feeding and Medical Services for Pilgrims as required by the Saudi Hajj Ministry. The meeting set up various committees for each of the areas identified and how each could be addressed.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Hajj Organising Committee, Alhaji Yayah Deen Kamara, who doubles as President of the Imam Council told the Information Bureau of the Sierra Leone Embassy in a telephone interview from Freetown last night that all the pilgrims received a warm welcome at the Lungi International Airport and all of them arrived “unhindered”.
Comments