What legacy did Mahama leave for northerners; SADA or guinea fowls? - Bawumia

Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has challenged former President John Mahama to mention just one legacy he left for northern Ghana 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.

Dr Bawumia noted that President Kwame Nkrumah left a legacy, Prime Minister Busia left a legacy, President Rawlings left a legacy, President Kufuor introduced the NHIS, free maternal health care, National School Feeding Programme, the LEAP Programme, Youth Employment Authority (YEA), Metro Mass amongst others.

"President Akufo-Addo has introduced the Planting for Food and Jobs, Free SHS, One Village-One Dam, Zongo Development Fund, Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ), One Constituency-One Ambulance, One District-One Factory, One District-One Warehouse. The construction of the Pwalugu Dam will also start this year. In addition, the President has brought peace to Dagbon and created two new regions (Savanna and North East). These are legacies President Akufo-Addo will be leaving after his tenure as President. What legacies can former President Mahama point to?" he asked.

The “Kakube” festival is celebrated to mark the end of the farming season each year and to show appreciation to God for his guidance and protection during the farming season.

Since the festival historically takes its roots from agriculture, Dr Bawumia used the occasion to assess the progress made so far on agricultural productivity in the three years of President Akufo-Addo’s government in the Nandom District.

He recounted from some of the government’s agricultural-related flagship programmes such as the Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development, Rearing for Food and Jobs, and One Village-One Dam, noting that the results were encouraging.

"For instance, 12,711 farmers are benefiting under the Planting for Food and Jobs with a total cropped area of 18,014 hectares. Also, as a result of the subsidised fertilisers, seeds and other farm inputs provided by the government together with the timely sensitisation of farmers on agronomic practices by MoFA staff, there has been a quantum leap in crop yield in the Nandom municipality. Farming season crop yield in the municipality increased by 30% in 2018," the Vice-President stated.

"Under the Planting for Export and Rural Development, so far a total of 68,000 cashew seedlings/seeds have been procured and distributed to about 600 farmers in 33 communities across the district. This intervention is expected in the long run to be a reliable source of income for farmers," he added.