Mahama's comments on Zongo Development Fund shameless - Bawumia boys

United Zongo for Bawumia group chides Mahama over his commentary on Zongo Development Fund

A pressure group known as United Zongo for Bawumia which sympathetic towards the Vice-president Dr Mahmoud Bawumia has taken a swipe at former President His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for his recent comments he made on the proper usage of the Zongo Development Fund.

Ex-President Mahama is alleged to have criticized some of the policies of the government with regards to the execution of the promises to the Zongo Community but in a rebuttal, the United Zongo for Bawumia said their research indicates that dwellers of the various Zongo communities across the country are better off than before.

Read the statement below

We gathered you here to refute and respond to some unfortunate claims made by the Ex-President Mahama recently on the zongo development fund.

Friends from the media, it must be noticed that in the time past, a vast majority of our Zongo communities supported the NDC; with the hope of Mr. Mahama and the NDC giving the Zongo communities opportunities to develop our capacities and societies. Sadly, what we witnessed were total neglects and no political will on the part of Mr. Mahama or the NDC to provide our Zongo communities any realistic opportunities to grow as a community.

Mr. Mahama and the NDC during their unfortunate time in power-starved the Zongo communities even a chance to smile. We lacked basic social amenities and also we were left virtually at the mercy of some donor organizations and other benevolent Muslims.

The NDC had no policy or plan to develop the skills and capacities of our teeming youth or even our communities.

So we find it unfortunate that Mr Mahama after neglecting the Zongo communities during his regrettable time as president, has no form of shame, but has the boldness to criticize the policies and programmes being implemented by the Nana Addo Bawumia led government. We ask ourselves, does he even care about us or it is merely for political expediencies because things do not add up?

If he cares to know, our Zongo communities are doing better now and in the few years of the NPP, there have been numerous of opportunities through the Zongo Development Fund to build and develop our skills and capacities.

These are contrary to the terrible experience we faced under your watch as President who never had the Zongo society at heart.

Again, if Mahama cares to know, it is indeed refreshing to see how much President AkufoAddo’s government holds the Muslim and Zongo communities’ plights with much importance.

Considering the comments he made, we have no form of doubts that his handlers are not briefing him correctly.

In this sense, we believe it is prudent that we elaborate him on the unprecedented number of interventions being outlaid by the Akufo Addo’s administration to uplift the living standards and rights of our Zongo communities. Unlike your government, Mr. Mahama, there has been the implementation of programmes and proposed policies by this government which are giving our Zongos a new look and the realistic opportunities we desired for the total transformation of our Muslim communities in Ghana.

Among these is, firstly, the creation of the Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development; a ministry established to purposely attend to the welfare and developmental needs of the Zongo communities.

No government ever in the history of our country has given the Zongo communities such preferential attention. Under this ministry, the Zongo communities have a Zongo Development Fund; a fund to build our skills and capacities.

So it's mind-boggling that Mr. Mahama could criticize the government for the Zongos. We want Mr. Mahama to know that the current NPP government, unlike his bad government, has been committed to making education accessible to all, so we can gain the required skills and knowledge to develop our country.

Children from out Zongos are equally benefiting from the NPP’s Free Senior High School education and above all, the teaching of Arabic in our Islamic schools which died under your tenure has been resurrected and enhanced.

Mr Mahama, we believe you must know unlike the regrettable state you left us, the Zongo communities now beam with a lot of hope since children from the Zongo communities now have an equal opportunity to the NPP’s free senior high school education to pursue their dreams. Also, as part of the government’s efforts of infrastructure enhancement and social development programmes, under the Ministry for Inner-City and Zongo Development, there are the construction of artificial turfs in and across the Zongo communities nationwide.

If Mr. Mahama does not know, these projects would not only serve as a sporting arena for the youth but, provide a conducive environment for the nurturing of sporting talents in the Zongo communities. Again, on the development of inner-city roads in the Zongo communities, the NPP government is constructing a lot of roads and drainage systems. A very important step to reduce dust, dirt and flooding in our Zongo communities across the nation and also bridge the development gaps between the Zongo communities and our urban cities. In the past years, embarking on Hajj from Ghana was problematic until President AkufoAddo was elected.

For the first time in the history of our country, Muslims pilgrims go to Mecca without any setbacks in flights or hotels arrangement. Obviously, the president holds the Islamic faith in high esteem, that is why he constituted competent members of the Hajj Board to steer the affairs of people from the Zongo communities embarking on Hajj.

It is therefore imperative to state on record that, no government has been this benevolent to the Muslims and Zongo communities than the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia led administration. Indeed, we have no doubt that the President is really the ‘ Zongo man’s friend’ as touted by many in the Zongo communities.

We want Mr. Mahama to know that we saw his leadership and how devastating he left our Muslim communities; so the least we expected of him is this form of criticism to the prudent policies being implemented by the Nana-Bawumia led NPP government to enhance the living standards of our Zongo communities.

We think he should be ashamed of the manner he neglected our Zongo communities but, he does not seem to and that is very shocking.

WE HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT, SUPPORT BAWUMIA, VOTE NPP ..........

UNITED ZONGO FOR BAWUMIA National Communication Director Mr Ibrahim Abubakar 0244021876 Nana Arthur. 0551645849