Kwame ‘A-Plus’ Asare Obeng, Gomoa Central MP, has argued the Hajj Village Project is a misplaced priority “especially at a time when according to the new government, Ghana has more urgent priorities”.

In a Facebook post, the socio-political commentator challenged government’s assurance the project was not taxpayer-funded.

“The Spokesperson for the President claims that the Hajj Village is a new airport terminal being built by the Ghana Airports Company Ltd (GACL) and that no taxpayer money is involved. Please, the Ghana Airport Company does not belong to Asagyam Herbal Clinic. It is a state enterprise, meaning any funds it uses are still state funds. If there is a need for a new terminal, which may be more expensive than the cost of the Hajj Village/Hajj Terminal, go ahead and build one with modern facilities that improve air travel for everyone,” A-Plus said.

Emphasising the need for transparency and keen prioritisation, he warned the new National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration led by President John Mahama to not repeat the mistakes that cost the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government the 2024 elections.

Read the entire post below:

I strongly disagree with the controversial Hajj Village project, especially at a time when according to the new government, Ghana has more urgent priorities. While I respect the significance of religious obligations, national resources must be directed toward projects that serve all Ghanaians.

We have critical projects like the Agenda 111 hospitals. Some are near completion and will provide essential healthcare services to millions. Shouldn’t we focus on completing these hospitals before investing in a facility that benefits only a fraction of the population?

The Spokesperson for the President claims that the Hajj Village is a new airport terminal being built by the Ghana Airports Company Ltd (GACL) and that no taxpayer money is involved. Please, the Ghana Airport Company does not belong to Asagyam Herbal Clinic. It is a state enterprise, meaning any funds it uses are still state funds. If there is a need for a new terminal, which may be more expensive than the cost of the Hajj Village/Hajj Terminal, go ahead and build one with modern facilities that improve air travel for everyone.

We have seen this playbook before. This is exactly how Akufo-Addo and Ken Ofori-Atta justified their National Cathedral project—promising it wouldn’t cost the taxpayer a cent. Yet, they ended up spending over $400 million on a project that remains unfinished, with nothing to show but a dirty swimming pool.

This is how it begins—they fail to take wise counsel and instead send their foot soldiers to insult us and make wild allegation against us for speaking the truth. We have seen these things, we have fought these things, we have won against them and will always win no matter how far under we go. It is a fact, scientifically proven!