'Overhyped', 'ignorant' Bawumia 'competing with serial callers' – NDC

The main opposition National Democratic Congress in the five regions of northern Ghana has replied Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia over his challenge to former President John Mahama to mention just one legacy he left for northerners during his tenure of office from 2012 to 2016.

Dr Bawumia threw the challenge on Sunday, 24 November 2019 when he joined the chiefs and people of Nandom Traditional Area to celebrate the 31 annual Kakube Festival at Nandom in the Upper West Region.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Bawumia said: “H.E. John Mahama should tell Ghanaians one legacy that he left in northern Ghana; just one when he was President for four-and-a-half years. What legacy did he leave?” "Is it the SADA that he left as a legacy for the north or it's the Guinea fowls that he left for northerners," the Vice-President wondered.

Responding to the Vice-President’s challenge, the five regional communication officers of the NDC, in a statement, said Dr Bawumia and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government come nowhere close to the “superior record” of Mr Mahama and the NDC as far as the development of northern Ghana is concerned.

The NDC chronicled the projects below from the different regions up north as some legacies of Mr Mahama:

A. UPPER WEST

1. Construction of 160-bed Upper West Regional Hospital in Wa 2. Rehabilitation and upgrade of Wa Airstrip into Airport to support domestic flights 3. Construction of Upper West Regional library 4. Wa Town Urban water project 5. Construction of 64 CHPS Compounds 6. Four (4) Health Training Institutions (Nandom ,Lawra,Tumu and Kperisi in Wa) 7. New Senior High Schools in Gwollu, Funsi and Birifo 8. Eight number E-Blocks. (Lambussie, Loggu, Dorimon, Zini, Naro, Domwin Boo, Konzokala and Wellembelle) Lambussie and Loggu operational now and the remaining six abandoned at various stages by the NPP 9. Elimination of forty schools under trees 10. Five Polyclinics (Wechau, Babile, Ko, Lambussie and Hian) 11. 74 GSOP Dams and labour intensive access roads 12. Construction of a military barracks to host the Airforce detachment in Wa. 13. 641 Communities connected to the National grid under SHEP and China Water Project 14. 8 number small town water project for Wechau, Manwe, Goripie, Kpongu, Piina, Nator, Sombo and Wellembelle 15. 4 number warehouses and pack housing for grains and vegetable storage at Sombo, Gwollu, Eremon and Yagha

B. UPPER EAST

1. Rehabilitation and expansion of Upper East Regional Hospital to meet world standards 2. Bitumen surfacing of Bolga to Bongo road 3. Rehabilitation and modernization of Tono and Vea Dams through GCAP 4. Construction of Navrongo and Bawku Town Water systems 5. Construction of 1000 tonnes capacity warehouses for storage of farm produce at Wiase, Bolgatanga, Sandema and Navrongo 6. Construction and rehabilitation of 86 small scale irrigation dams through GSOP 7. Construction of Tongo-Winkogo road 8. About 100 communities connected to the National grid through SHEP 9. Massive infrastructure in almost every Senior High School through SEIP 10. Construction of 70 CHPS Compounds to improve access to health in our rural communities 11. Expansion of infrastructure at St John Bosco College of Education, Gbewaa College of Education, Zourungo Nursing Training College and UDS Navrongo Campus. This has expanded access to Tertiary Education in the Upper East Region. 12. Constructed about 500 basic school blocks in the Region (the largest intervention to basic education in UER since independence) 13. Commenced the construction of the 112 km Bolga-Bawku- Pulmanko road 14. Commenced the construction of the Tamne large scale irrigation dam project to boost irrigation farming in Garu, Tempani, Pusiga, Bawku and Binduri 15. Navrongo to Tumu road (work was progressing steadily, but truncated by this government.

C. NORTH EAST REGION

1. Establishment of the Gambaga College of Education 2. Construction of 57 km Walewale-Nalerigu road 3. Over 100 communities connected to the national grid 4. Construction of a storey building dormitory block and a six-unit classroom block at Bunkprurugu Senior High School 5. Construction of the Boayini bridge in West Mamprusi Municipaliy 6. Bitumen surfacing of Wiase to Yabaga road 7. Construction of small-town water systems at Kparigu and Tinguri 8. Construction of Nalerigu, Gambaga and Walewale town roads 9. Construction of 20 CHPS Compounds to boost access to health in rural communities within the Region 10. Boardinisation of Nankpanduri and Bunkpurugu Snr High Schools 11. Massive infrastructure within Senior High Schools to improve access through the SEIP Program 12. Office Complex for the Municipal Education Directorate at Walewale 13. A modern lorry station in Walewale 14. Construction of Assembly Hall Complex at Cherepony 15. Construction of District Assembly Complex at Yagaba in the Mamprugu/Moadur District

D. NORTHERN REGION

1. Tamale to Techiman asphaltic pavement road 2. Tamale township asphaltic overlay 3. Asphaltic overlay of roads at Kamina barracks, Bawa Barracks and Tamale Airport residential area 4. Wulensi Kpandai roads 5. Nyankpala, Tolon, Tali road 6. Tamale South Township roads 7. Upgrading of Tamale Airport to an International Airport 8. Abuobu market reconstruction 9. Tamale old market reconstruction 10. 800 bed capacity Tamale Teaching Hospital phase 1&2 11. Polyclinics at Tatale and Kpandai 12. Health Training Schools at Yendi and Gusheigu 13. 18 ICT Centres across the Region 14. Water projects for Nantong, Savulugu, Tamale South, Tamale North, Sagnerigu and Kanvili Tuunayil 15. Rural electrification for about 1000 communities across the Region

E. SAVANNAH REGION

1. Sawla Damango- Fufulso road (tarred with schools, markets and clinics for communities along the road) 2. Established a Senior High School in Sawla 3. Market complex at Sawla, Damongo,Busunu etc 4. Community Day School at Daboya (E-Block) 5. ninety-five communities connected to the National grid 6. District Assembly Block at Damango 7. Mpaha and Buipe senior high schools 8. Kpalibe Senior High School, Buipe SHS, Buipe S.H.T.S and Mpaha SHS (almost completed) 9. Nurses bungalows at Goyiri, Kulmasa and Sawla 10. Sawla Polyclinic 11. Health Insurance Office at Sawla 12. Established Sawls Senior High School 13. Constructed the Kalba Dam 14. Kunfusi Polyclinic 15. West Gonja District Hospital

The NDC said the projects stated above are just “a tip of the iceberg of the unprecedented expansion of infrastructure and social services experienced by Northern Ghana under the leadership of HE John Dramani Mahama.”

The party said it is, therefore, “out of ignorance or a game of political mischief for anyone to suggest he or she cannot find traces of Mr Mahama and the NDC’s impact in northern Ghana in the erstwhile regime”.

Below is the full NDC statement

JOINT PRESS RELEASE BY THE FIVE REGIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICERS IN NORTHERN GHANA RE: SHOW US ONE LEGACY YOU LEFT AFTER 8YEARS IN POWERBAWUMIA TAUNTS MAHAMA AGAIN 27th November, 2019

The NDC in Northern Ghana has taken note of yet another feeble challenge thrown to us and our Leader, HE John Dramani Mahama, by Vice-President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. In what appears like the loud-thinking of an ignoramus, the Vice-President is reported to have challenged HE John Mahama and the NDC, to name any social intervention or legacy bequeathed to Northern Ghana in the 4-year period HE John Mahama served as Vice-President and also the 4-year period he served as President (7th January, 2009- 7th January, 2017).

While we are nonetheless bemused by frantic efforts made by Vice-President Bawumia and the NPP to turn a hitherto solemn celebration of culture and unity by the chiefs and people of the Nandom Traditional area to an NPP Jamboree, we are astonished that, in the face of glaring evidence that this government is going down in history as the most dysfunctional government to have been elected in the Fourth Republic, its functionaries keep on tickling themselves and laughing.

Our elders often say that, ‘a child that is born blind thinks all other children were also born blind’. We are very certain this is the pathetic situation of our brother Vice-President as his pathetically empty knowledge of Northern Ghana’s development trajectory makes him think all other northerners are ignorant of our circumstances under HE John Dramani Mahama and the excruciating hardship coupled with the abuse we are going through under this draconian regime. It is true that, ‘in the gathering of fowls, the cockroach can never be appreciated for any good dancing skill’ but a little bit of due diligence would have informed our Vice-President that whenever he lands safely at the Wa Airport and drives smoothly from Wa through Nadowli-Babile-Lawra and to Nandom, it is because his visionary elder brother HE John Dramani Mahama did not choose to poison us with expired disaster relief items, but chose to improve our transport systems to meet world standards.

If our Vice-President had any instincts of a good public speaker in him, he should have realised that, the murmuring crowd of Kakube celebrants was a loud disapproval of his 21-minute-long uninspiring speech which only commercialised his naivety while clearing all doubts that, the Vice-President was indeed empty but unfortunately overhyped in the run-up to the 2016 General Election. While we deeply acknowledge that, our brother Vice-President Bawumia got unto the political terrain quiet lately as a novice, little did we know that, after two unsuccessful trials to the Vice-Presidency and now Vice-President for three years, our brother will still have difficulties in identifying social interventions or telling what a legacy is. His predicament confirms the saying that, ‘the length of time a mangrove tree dwells in a river does not make it a crocodile’. It is sad that Vice-President Bawumia has lowered the esteem of the High Office of the Vice-President. His public utterances and politicisation of every activity in that office leaves much to be desired. In our considered view, our brother might be suffering some form of inferiority complex or struggling to hold onto a straw of relevance after failing abysmally to be the magic wand through which President Akufo Addo will fulfil all his ostentatious promises. It is against this backdrop that, the Vice-President seem to have abandoned his responsibilities while competing with NPP serial callers for relevance in the media.

We wish to draw Dr Bawumia’s attention to the fact that, social intervention connotes any action taken to ameliorate a social challenge or ease a burden on society. Legacies on another breadth are deliberate actions or interventions handed down to future generations to help meet their social needs. Judging from the above, it is quite clear that, Dr Bawumia and his NPP comes nowhere close to the superior records of HE John Dramani Mahama and the NDC as far as the development of Northern Ghana is concerned. We wish to chronicle a few of such interventions for the purpose of educating our brother the Vice-President on this matter.

A. UPPER WEST

1. Construction of 160-bed Upper West Regional Hospital in Wa 2. Rehabilitation and upgrade of Wa Airstrip into Airport to support domestic flights 3. Construction of Upper West Regional library 4. Wa Town Urban water project 5. Construction of 64 CHPS Compounds 6. Four (4) Health Training Institutions (Nandom, Lawra,Tumu and Kperisi in Wa) 7. New Senior High Schools in Gwollu, Funsi and Birifo 8. Eight number E-Blocks. (Lambussie, Loggu, Dorimon, Zini, Naro, Domwin Boo, Konzokala and Wellembelle) Lambussie and Loggu operational now and the remaining six abandoned at various stages by the NPP 9. Elimination of forty schools under trees 10. Five Polyclinics (Wechau, Babile, Ko, Lambussie and Hian) 11. 74 GSOP Dams and labour intensive access roads 12. Construction of a military barracks to host the Airforce detachment in Wa. 13. 641 Communities connected to the National grid under SHEP and China Water Project 14. 8 number small town water project for Wechau, Manwe, Goripie, Kpongu, Piina, Nator, Sombo and Wellembelle 15. 4 number warehouses and pack housing for grains and vegetable storage at Sombo, Gwollu, Eremon and Yagha

B. UPPER EAST

1. Rehabilitation and expansion of Upper East Regional Hospital to meet world standards 2. Bitumen surfacing of Bolga to Bongo road 3. Rehabilitation and modernisation of Tono and Vea Dams through GCAP 4. Construction of Navrongo and Bawku Town Water systems 5. Construction of 1,000 tonnes capacity warehouses for storage of farm produce at Wiase, Bolgatanga, Sandema and Navrongo 6. Construction and rehabilitation of 86 small scale irrigation dams through GSOP 7. Construction of Tongo-Winkogo road 8. About 100 communities connected to the National grid through SHEP 9. Massive infrastructure in almost every Senior High School through SEIP 10. Construction of 70 CHPS Compounds to improve access to health in our rural communities 11. Expansion of infrastructure at St John Bosco College of Education, Gbewaa College of Education, Zourungo Nursing Training College and UDS Navrongo Campus. This has expanded access to Tertiary Education in the Upper East Region. 12. Constructed about 500 basic school blocks in the Region (the largest intervention to basic education in UER since independence) 13. Commenced the construction of the 112 km Bolga-Bawku-Pulmanko road 14. Commenced the construction of the Tamne large scale irrigation dam project to boost irrigation farming in Garu, Tempani, Pusiga, Bawku and Binduri 15. Navrongo to Tumu road (work was progressing steadily, but truncated by this government.

C. NORTH EAST REGION

1. Establishment of the Gambaga College of Education 2. Construction of 57 km Walewale-Nalerigu road 3. Over 100 communities connected to the national grid 4. Construction of a storey building dormitory block and a six-unit classroom block at Bunkprurugu Senior High School 5. Construction of the Boayini bridge in West Mamprusi Municipaliy 6. Bitumen surfacing of Wiase to Yabaga road 7. Construction of small-town water systems at Kparigu and Tinguri 8. Construction of Nalerigu, Gambaga and Walewale town roads 9. Construction of 20 CHPS Compounds to boost access to health in rural communities within the Region 10. Boardinisation of Nankpanduri and Bunkpurugu Snr High Schools 11. Massive infrastructure within Senior High Schools to improve access through the SEIP Program 12. Office Complex for the Municipal Education Directorate at Walewale 13. A modern lorry station in Walewale 14. Construction of Assembly Hall Complex at Cherepony 15. Construction of District Assembly Complex at Yagaba in the Mamprugu/Moadur District

D. NORTHERN REGION

1. Tamale to Techiman asphaltic pavement road 2. Tamale township asphaltic overlay 3. Asphaltic overlay of roads at Kamina barracks, Bawa Barracks and Tamale Airport residential area 4. Wulensi Kpandai roads 5. Nyankpala, Tolon, Tali road 6. Tamale South Township roads 7. Upgrading of Tamale Airport to an International Airport 8. Abuobu market reconstruction 9. Tamale old market reconstruction 10. 800 bed capacity Tamale Teaching Hospital phase 1&2 11. Polyclinics at Tatale and Kpandai 12. Health Training Schools at Yendi and Gusheigu 13. 18 ICT Centres across the Region 14. Water projects for Nantong, Savulugu, Tamale South, Tamale North, Sagnerigu and Kanvili Tuunayil 15. Rural electrification for about 1000 communities across the Region.

E. SAVANNAH REGION

1. Sawla Damango- Fufulso road (tarred with schools, markets and clinics for communities along the road) 2. Established a Senior High School in Sawla 3. Market complex at Sawla, Damongo, Busunu etc 4. Community Day School at Daboya (E-Block) 5. ninety-five communities connected to the National grid 6. District Assembly Block at Damango 7. Mpaha and Buipe senior high schools 8. Kpalibe Senior High School, Buipe SHS, Buipe S.H.T.S and Mpaha SHS (almost completed) 9. Nurses bungalows at Goyiri, Kulmasa and Sawla 10. Sawla Polyclinic 11. Health Insurance Office at Sawla 12. Established Sawls Senior High School 13. Constructed the Kalba Dam 14. Kunfusi Polyclinic 15. West Gonja District Hospital

It is instructive to state unequivocally that, the few projects stated above are just a tip of the iceberg of the unprecedented expansion of infrastructure and social services experienced by Northern Ghana under the leadership of HE John Dramani Mahama. It is, therefore, out of ignorance or a game of political mischief for anyone to suggest he or she cannot find traces of President Mahama and the NDC’s impact in northern Ghana in the erstwhile regime. Rather, we, as northerners, feel completely disappointed at the abysmal performance of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. His continuous use of the High Office of Vice-President of this country to peddle falsehood and petty partisan propaganda is most disappointing and very regrettable.

We urge all Ghanaians not to measure the competence of any northern politician by the standards of Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, but to treat his case as an isolated failure of an over hyped politician who has failed to live up to expectation. We resolve most solemnly that, Northern Ghana in entirety will continue to eulogise HE John Dramani Mahama as one leader whose tenure has supervised the largest investment in infrastructure and social services within a regime.

In the age-old wisdom of our forbearers, they often say, when you point a finger at your colleague, four others are directed to you. Besides lowering the esteem at the Office of the Vice-President with petty partisanship, persistent lies and broken promises, we challenge our Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to tell us what he has been able to do for Northern Ghana all these years he has served as Vice President.

Thank you. …Signed…

Comrade Puo-Ire Prosper (RCO-UWR)

Comrade Malik Basintale (RCO-Savannah Region)

Comrade Saeed Ahmed Tijani (RCO-UER)

Comrade Abdul-Mumin Alhassan (RCO-NR)

Comrade Imoro Abdul-Razak (RCO-NER)