Pioneering Excellence: Sheikh Alhaji Murtada Sesay's Leadership in the 2024 Hajj

Quality leadership and good moral character are inseparable. Therefore, when those with the most moral obligations handle our affairs, we expect competence and fairness. Their every action must improve living conditions in our lives.

In Sheikh Alhaji Murtada Sesay, I have seen these ideals demonstrated. He demonstrated them as Chairman of the Presidential Hajj Taskforce during our just completed pilgrimage to Mecca. And that is no small feat. We are all familiar with the challenge of organizing Hajj events in Sierra Leone. We all have memories of pilgrims from Sierra Leone, stranded in foreign lands. We can recall the unfortunate and embarrassing tales of "Alhaji Lungi", "Haja Abuja", "Haja Conakry", "Alhaji Turkey". So, when it was time for Hajj this year, I was anxious. I was concerned about how the process will be managed; about how the concerns of adherents of our Islamic faith making this very important journey will be handled.

Yet Alhaji Murtada allayed those worries. One case in point was while we were in Kingtom, preparing for Hajj. In his speeches, he affirmed all 629 pilgrims registered to perform Hajj in 2024 will go on to do so. He followed those exchanges by routinely updating us on the progress made on this sojourn to Mecca. In one instance, he even conveyed to us that all pilgrims who had successfully completed medical screening now had their visas processed. Like all exceptional leaders, this crucial and timely update provided us belief in the quality of leadership he was offering us.

Furthermore, Sheikh followed this exemplary leadership by following through with all his promises. A case in point was during our orientation program. On the last day of orientation, he promised that the first batch of pilgrims would constitute 267 adherents; most of whom will be sick and elderly. The list emerged and that was the exact composition of the list: the sick and aged. Sheikh and his team had quite rightly prioritized those needing the most support from us. Still, this did not sufficiently satisfy some of us, especially those of us young, first-time pilgrims. We kept on questioning him, seeking ample clarifications at every stage of the process. No question was “irrelevant” or “silly” for him. With uncommon humility, patience and frankness, he listened to us. He sought to understand our problems. And he responded, addressing every one of those queries to the best of his abilities. On the morning of May 31, 2024, we gathered again at Kingtom to confirm if our names were part of the second batch of Hajj pilgrims. As promised, all our names were there! The passport bio-data supplied were all accurate. This gave us additional confidence in his leadership.

When it was time to travel to Saudi, I saw competent leadership on display. Prompt announcements were made, urging all pilgrims to be at Government Wharf at around 3:30PM on the day of travel. Our luggage were carefully stowed in military vehicles and transported to Lungi International Airport. While being ferried from Government Wharf to Lungi Airport, pilgrims were served food and drinks. At the entrance of the old airport, we were greeted with team members of the Ebadullah Islamic Organization and a couple other organizations. More food and drinks were distributed to pilgrims by these teams. Hajj Committee verified all travel documents as they distributed them to us. Buses transporting us to the new Lungi International Airport for onwards travel to Saudi Arabia was carried on their task. We left Sierra Leone at around 5:00 AM.

In Saudi, it was no different. Sheikh and his team continued their stellar performance. Madina welcomed us warmly, providing us with comfortable accommodation, good meals and reliable bus transportation. Everywhere we went, we were recognized by just our flag. We moved to Makka. In Makka, we arrived at around 1:00 am, rested for two hours and then proceeded to the Haram for Umrah. Again, the task force helped, working collaboratively with the Sierra Leone Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the student body to provide use guidance. In Arafat, I overheard two Nigerians and some Guineans admitting they had snuck into our tents to get some food. They remarked that since we hadn’t noticed any of this, it relayed how friendly and accommodating we were as a people. I appreciated that observation.

To be clear, I don’t think the fantastic experience we had happened by accident. They happened because of good leadership that listens. They happened because our leadership chose to plan. They happened because we had honest and hardworking persons at the helm of affairs. The leadership showcased by Sheik Alhaji Murtada Sesay, Alhaji Haji Kella (Deputy Minister), Sheikh Dyphan A. Massaquoi and the entire team was awe-inspiring to me. I felt proud to be called a Sierra Leonean.

Minna is widely considered to be one of the most difficult places for pilgrims. Yet I never sensed that while at Hajj. In every facility, Sierra Leoneans were treated as priority. I even heard some service providers in Minna jokingly claim affiliations with Sierra Leone. I was shocked to learn that Sierra Leonean Americans in Hajj from the US had to walk from Mina to Arafat; from Arafat to Muzdalifa and from Jamarat back to Mina. Put together, those distances are over 20 miles! This exhausting exercise took the lives of 5 Sierra Leonean American pilgrims. May Allah have mercy on their souls. On a separate but equally sad note, let me also acknowledge the deaths of Alhaji Gbewie. May Allah Subhaanaho Wata'aAllah have mercy upon him and grant him Al-janatul Firdausi Aalaa.

I chose to talk about Sheikh Murtada’s admirable leadership because of what I experienced during preparations and travel to Hajj this year. My mom once told me that when Allah wishes to bless a people, He gives them a righteous leader. She will continue by saying leadership in Islam is a sacred position of trust; that positions should be used to do good and do Allah’s demands. Leadership that focuses on problem-solving, on protecting followers, and treating people justly is Islamic leadership. The Presidential Hajj Taskforce of Sierra Leone is fortunate to have these attributes in Chairman Sheikh Alhaji Murtada Sesay.

I want to end by thanking you all for lending me your attention. As a young Sierra Leonean Muslim, I wish to humbly recommend that we establish a "National Commission for Hajj" in Sierra Leone. Our most recent experience proves good leadership and planning matters in ensuring pilgrims have rewarding Hajj experiences. In my view, with continuous Government support, and under the astute leadership of Alhaji Murtada Sesay, Hajj programs can only continue to get better.