'Incompetent', 'corrupt' Mahama 'worsened plight of northerners' – NPP

The "incompetence" and "corrupt tendencies" for Mr John Mahama as President "eroded" the gains of the John Kufuor administration and rendered northerners worse off, the governing New Patriotic Party’s five regions up north have said in a joint statement as a response to a statement issued by the main opposition National Democratic Congress' five regions up north, recently, in which the biggest opposition party described Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as an "overhyped" and "ignorant" leader who has chosen not to see the legacy Mr Mahama left in office.

"In the eight years of the NDC, they paid lip service" to the people of Ghana as far as "providing something concrete for the people of the north" was concerned, adding: "Poverty and hunger, coupled with a lack of initiatives killed the spirit of the hardworking people of the north. The incompetence and corrupt tendencies of Mr Mahama rather eroded the gains made by the government of President Kufuor, thereby, worsening the plight of the people", the NPP's statement jointly signed by Mohammed Issah (Savanna Regional Communication Director), Sule Salifu (Northern Regional Communication Director), Bukari Ali (Upper West Regional Communication Director), Amos Walibe (North East Regional Communication Director), and Issah Sanusi (Upper East Regional Communication Director).

The NPP statement said "Mr Mahama and the NDC saw the challenges and problems confronting us in the north as opportunities to exploit and enrich themselves", adding: "This was evident in the way and manner SADA was transformed overnight into a special-purpose vehicle to create, loot and share".

"Why are our friends in the NDC afraid to mention SADA as their 'legacy' project?" the NPP asked, noting: "Candidate Mahama and his NDC, again, in their usual rehearsed propaganda brought out projects that can be best described as goods and services rather than social interventions. They misrepresented most of the facts as they did in their 'Green Book' prior to the 2016 elections. In fact, all the projects failed the first test of verifiability, ownership, funding sources, usability, durability and accessibility".

Read the NPP’s full statement below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

29TH NOVEMBER, 2019

JOHN MAHAMA AND THE NDC HAVE LOST CREDIBILITY

We have read a statement from some five communication officers of the opposition NDC, captioned “RE: SHOW US ONE LEGACY YOU LEFT AFTER 8YEARS IN POWER – BAWUMIA TAUNTS MAHAME AGAIN”. Reading from the statement, one couldn’t have agreed with the Vice-President than the facts he has since been presenting before the people of Ghana with respect to the inability of the NDC to show us a social intervention or policy that had the tendency of relieving hardship for the people of Ghana.

In the 8 years of the NDC, they paid lip service to providing something concrete for the people of the North. Poverty and hunger coupled with lack of initiatives killed the spirit of the hard-working people of the North. The incompetence and corrupt tendencies of Mr Mahama rather eroded the gains made by the government of President Kufuor, thereby, worsening the plight of the people.

In the words of Hon. Baba Jamal, a Deputy Information Minister under the NDC, “When we buy a sheep, say it’s a cow and if it’s black, say it's white”. I don’t think, at this juncture, the Hon. Deputy Minister then was speaking to blind people. He knew his party considers the citizens as having “short memories”. The headache of the NDC now is to get a competent running mate as Dr Bawumia to help sharp their campaign rather than this vile propaganda which will take them nowhere. We now understand why Dr Bawumia is their nightmare.

Mr Mahama and the NDC saw the challenges and problems confronting us in the North, as opportunities to exploit and enrich themselves. This was evident in the way and manner SADA was transformed overnight, into a special-purpose vehicle for creating, looting and sharing. Why are our friends in the NDC afraid to mention SADA as their ‘legacy’ project?

Candidate Mahama and his NDC again in their usual rehearsed propaganda brought out projects that can be best described as goods and services rather than Social Interventions. They misrepresented most of the facts as they did in their ‘Green Book’ prior to the 2016 elections. In fact, all the projects failed the first test of verifiability, ownership, funding sources, usability, durability and accessibility.

For the records, the challenge from the Vice-President was specific to a single legacy the former President left for the North. We are still at a loss how miraculously our colleagues managed to arrogate policies and projects that preceded the advent of the last NDC government to Candidate Mahama. We shall, however, correct some of the inaccuracies as contained in their press release Region by Region as follows;

A. SAVANNA REGION

1. The former President and his NDC must credit the people of Ghana and specifically Gonjalanders with some modicum of intellect. The former President and his NDC claim the West Gonja District Hospital is a legacy of Candidate Mahama. The desperation to get back to power must not be interpreted to mean people are not intelligent. The said Hospital existed long before Mr Mahama got into politics. Probably even before He was born. For the former President and his NDC to ever contemplate claiming credit for building that facility is so worrying and confirms the desperation of an empty opposition. In fact, the facility gained the status of a District Hospital in 2004 and a simple search on google will give basic details to that effect. The West Gonja District Hospital is not and can never be a legacy of the former President

2. The Fufulso-Sawla Road was a project bequeathed to the late President Mills in 2009. Until today, we never knew it was the handy work of the Former President that shortchanged the Yagbonwura and his people with regards to this very project. We never knew it was Candidate Mahama that changed the entire stretch of the road from asphalt to bitumen. And that the dual carriageway (at main towns) that the original contract came with was taken away by our own brother. The Project was secured by former President Kufuor and a sod-cutting done by former President Mills. It cannot, therefore, be a legacy of Candidate Mahama.

3. We wish to also put on record, that not a single Senior School or Senior High Technical School was established or put up by/under Candidate Mahama, either as Vice President or a President. He has none in his name in that regard. The Two (2), Buipe SHS and Buipe SHTSs were all established under the able Presidency of President John Agyekum Kufour. None came under Candidate Mahama as a President or Veep. The claim is a palpable falsehood. Again, the Mpaha E-block was never completed under the Former President as being bandied around. That explains why no single student was admitted to the school for 2017. It took the current Nana Addo government to complete up to about 60% of the project before students could be admitted. The lies must stop.

4. The lies appear unending. The Damango District Assembly project preceded candidate Mahama’ Presidency. Indeed, the whole project was completed in the first 4 years of President John Kufuor. The former President clearly never knew how that project started let alone tell when it ended. A simple visit to the said facility will indicate to you publicly when the project started and when it was completed. This lazy opposition cannot be an alternative to any responsible government

5. President Mahama and his NDC have proven they cannot resist the temptation to lie. How come a bare site as we have in Kpalbe is regarded as a legacy? How? A site that was visibly abandoned in 2016 even before the building foundation is regarded a legacy? How is that possible?

6. The Sawla Tuna Kalba District has no single polyclinic as we speak. The only Polyclinic that is being constructed is the one that the NDC failed to complete in their Eight (8) years miserable rule. The funds for which were secured under the Eurojet project in 2008. Candidate Mahama and his NDC, therefore, peddled an obvious untruth that there exist any Polyclinic in Kunfusi in the above District. The only facility that is located in that vicinity is a CHPS compound. It does not even qualify as a Health Center. The lies must stop.

7. The Sawla Senior High School in the Savanna Region was established in 2011. How that mysteriously turned into a legacy of Candidate Mahama is amazing. Wonders they say shall never end.

B. NORTHEAST REGION

1. The 57km Nalerigu-Walewale road: The Nalerigu-Bongbini stretch of the road, representing about 45% of the entire road was done between 2001 and 2008. Then again, from Walewale-Banawa stretch representing about 5% of the entire road was done at the close of 2008. After taking over in 2009, the NDC renegotiated the other half of the road, the Bongbini stretch towards Walewale, representing the next half of the 57km Nalerigu-Walewale road. It took this current NPP government a hectic time to complete the rest of the work on the stretch. This cannot be a legacy of Candidate Mahama.

2. The NDC prior to the 2016 elections commissioned the Kparigu and Tinguri small-town water projects. These communities are yet to harvest a gallon of water from the said projects. That legacy is surely hanging.

3. It is shocking to hear the NDC mention the Nalerigu, Gambaga and Walewale town roads as part of their achievements. The Nalerigu town roads, in particular, were started in 2008 and all the gutters were built before the NPP lost power in 2008. The NDC, upon assumption of office in 2009, abandoned the project until NPP returned to continue the project in 2018. The projects are about 97% complete. Same goes for Walewale and Gambaga projects. I am not sure the NPP government excavated these roads but to redo them as is being done. You cannot lie your way back to power

4. The Walewale lorry station was started in 2008. The NDC in 8 years could not complete it. This government awarded a contract for the said lorry station to be completed. Are we suggesting for a moment, that the Lorry station assuming without admitting it was done under NDC, is also a legacy of the desperate Former President? Really?

C. NORTHERN REGION

1. Construction of Tamale - Techiman road predates even the Mills led administrations hence it is quite bizarre to phantom the wisdom of including such a road in the list of legacy projects of Mr Mahama’s presidency in the North. This is bizarre.

2. In the four years Mr Mahama’s tenure, there was no project like “Tamale township asphaltic overlay” unless, of course, this happened in Tamale on another planet rather than our very own Tamale which is the capital of the Northern Region. We expect the provision of better and further particulars in this regard if the NDC wants to have a credible challenge.

3. With regards to the Asphaltic overlay of roads at Kamina barracks, Bawa Barracks and Tamale Airport residential areas, it is interesting to see the NDC claiming credit of a project which came to cause the people of these areas more pain than relief. In fact, this asphaltic overlay was hurriedly done just before the 2016 general elections and it will shock the Ghanaian people to learn that this was done without any proper road engineering works. So many lives have been lost and still being lost today due to motor traffic accident caused by the depressions on the shoulders of the road. Who, in his or right senses, will claim credit for such a poorly executed project, which has since caused the lives of innocent road users? It was the product of the excess loot from the palpably corrupt deals from the Tamale Airport Runway that cost the country 100 million dollars. This cannot be a legacy for a true Northerner.

4. The claims of the NDC regarding projects such as Wulensi Kpandai roads, Nyankpala, Tolon, Tali road, Tamale South Township roads remains a mendacious claim until empirically verifiable evidence is adduced to back such claims. All these areas mentioned are still struggling with poor road networks. Can the NDC come clear with where exactly in these areas the NDC worked on to warrant a claim of credit as Mahama’s legacy?

5. On the claims regarding the upgrading of Tamale Airport to an International Airport, it is instructive to note that this project was executed at a whooping sum of 100 Million dollars. This translated into about GHS450 million. The airport had all the basic ancillary facilities before the said upgrade and today it is still in use. The current passengers' lounge was put up under the NPP government even before 2009. There existed a runway, yet the NDC dubiously spend about GHS450 million on just the extension of a runway. Simply extending a runway cost our taxes that much. Tell us aside this what happened there. Is it not curious that a runway will cost as much as 3 times the cost of some newly built airports? And this is supposed to be a legacy to be celebrated? We should celebrate such a dubious deal?

6. From verified records at the Tamale Metropolitan assembly, it is highly erroneous to attribute the Tamale Abuobu market projects the legacy of Mr Mahama. This is so because the project was conceptualized and initiated in early 2001 by the first Mayor of Tamale under President Kufour’s NPP government in the person Hon. Prince Imoro Andani. This was then continued by Hon Adam Yogu and subsequent Mayors of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly. Even so as of January 2017 when the NDC lefty office, no single store was completed and handed over to the people for use. Same can be said of the claims regarding constructions at the Tamale old market. These projects predate the Mills led government hence they cannot be included in the list of Mr Mahama’s legacy projects. The lies must stop.

7. On the claims of NDC building polyclinic at Tatale in the northern region, there is no credible evidence of empirical validity to back this claim. The current and only polyclinic in the District was initiated by an NPP led government in 2008 and executed by Vamed Australia constructions limited. It is, therefore, unfortunate that the NDC, in their empty fishing expedition for projects in defence of already rejected Candidate Mahama, will cause such a historical blunder by claiming the Tatale project as a legacy project of Mr Mahama.

8. The renovation and expansion work at the Tamale Teaching Hospital is a project that is very dear to the heart of the North, hence every person of northern extraction has a full idea when it comes to the history of this project. It is a well-established fact, backed by records of the legislative assembly (Parliamentary Hansard) as of October 2008 that Funding for the project was secured by the Kufuor led NPP government before leaving office. It is further instructive to note that at the sod-cutting ceremony of the Tamale Teaching Hospital project, late President publicly recognised the effort of the previous government in initiating the project which he came later to continue. It is, therefore, mind-blowing that today a project initiated by President Kufuor, continued by the late President Mills and completed (second phase) by President Akufo Addo, will become a legacy of Candidate Mahama. For the records, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, may we state categorically that Tamale Teaching Hospital expansion and renovation project is NOT and CANNOT be a legacy of Mr Mahama. Any attempt to give credit for this project to Mr Mahama will amount to a travesty of history or distorted representation

9. Claims of crediting Mr Mahama with the Health Training School at Yendi is another pathetic misrepresentation seeking to perpetuate a political fraud which is highly characteristic of the NDC and its likes. In this regard, the then-NPP government established the first Health Assistants Training School in Damongo with its first batch of students starting in temporal structures in Tamale. The second and third schools were established in Yendi and Kpembe respectively and followed by Nalerigu just to mention few. In fact, the first principal of the Yendi Health Assistants School established by the NPP government in 2008 was one Mr Awal Bawa who later moved to head another school in Bolga. From this narration, it is clear that the Yendi Health Assistants school does not come close to anything that Mr Mahama can claim under his regime as president. The desperate lies must stop.

10. The NDC has also misrepresented the facts regarding the construction of ICT centres in the districts of the Northern region. It is curious to know that there is no ICT centre in Mion, Wulensi, Tatale, Zabzugu, Yendi, Nantong and Kumbungu. The ICT centre in Saboba was completed in 2008 and computers supplied by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFIC). Also, the Tolon ICT centre was jointly constructed and resourced by MTN and UNDP. Again, it is highly imperative to note that the Savelugu ICT centre was constructed by the DCE for Savelugu under President Kufour Hon Atori and it has since seen no rehabilitation until recently when the current MCE for Savulugu renovated the centre.

11. On the poorly coordinated joint statement of the NDC, there are claims of water projects for Nantong, Savulugu, Tamale South, Tamale North, Sagnerigu and Kanvili Tuunayil. It is quite disheartening that the NDC will make such a falsified claim because these are projects whose authenticity can be easily verified. Who in and around Tamale is oblivious of the age-long water crises in and around Tamale became a thing of the past after the elaborate execution of the “Bi-Water” project under the able leadership of the former President Kufour. Why these desperate lies?

D. UPPER WEST REGION:

1. The Upper West Regional Hospital was started by President John Kufuor, under Hon. Hika Benson as the Regional Minister. Under the able leadership of the Regional Minister, the land was procured and Registered in the name of the Hospital. Further, this is a part of the Eurojet-funded projects that were secured by the John Kufuor government in 2008. The Project coordinator is on record to have mentioned this at the opening of the said facility. This is duly documented at the Regional Co-ordinating Council for records. That cannot be a legacy for Candidate Mahama.

2. The upper west regional library project was started under Mills in 2010. This, in fact, was the project that saw the then Regional Minister, Hon. Mahamud Khalid sacked. The project that got its tender process turned sour and led to the burning of the tender documents. Today, Candidate Mahama and the NDC claim the library that was built under President Mills is a legacy of John Mahama. This is surely not closer to the truth.

3. Brifor SHS was a private school started by members of the community. It was later passively adopted by the Ghana Education Service. We are still struggling to appreciate how adopting a school from the local people by the government will amount to a legacy of Candidate Mahama

4. Funsi SHS started under President John Kufuor. The DCE at the time, Hon. Mahama Adams Isssahaku (Okonkow) acquired the land and built a three-unit classroom. His successor, who is the current UW Regional Secretary of the NPP built a staff bungalow for them. As usual of chronic liars, this has miraculously become the legacy of a desperate Candidate and his struggling NDC.

5. The small-town water project began in July 2006 under John Kufour with a GHS27b (old cedis) funding secured for the following communities: Tumu, Sakai, Gwollu, Lawra, Nandom, Jirapa, Nadowli and Dafiama. This was reported by the GNA in July 2006. A simple check could have saved Candidate Mahama this incompetent embarrassment. This again cannot be a legacy for the incompetent one in the North.

6. There are no visible E-blocks in Wallembelle, Konzokalla and Naro as suggested by Candidate Mahama and his NDC. There is a strong conviction, that these are excerpts of the now scarce green book and its artistic impression. The lies must stop.

E. UPPER EAST REGION

1. The Bolgatanga Regional Hospital was started under President J.A. Kufuor with a $12 million grant from the Saudi Kingdom, where we saw the building of the Out-Patients Department (OPD), 4unit story building of Doctor's bungalows, new maternity ward and Midwifery School (Phase1). The last NPP government started phase II before exiting office in 2008. The Nana Addo government has again secured a $20-million loan from the Saudi government to continue with phase III. The NDC must tell us how this is a Mahama legacy.

2. Bolga-Bongo road. JAK government completed 10 km out of 15 km it took NDC 8 years to complete 5 km road.

3. Bolga-Bawku road. This contract was signed on 6th of December 2016, a day to the general election. After wasting 8 good years, the legacy then President Mahama left for the people of Bolga through to Bawku areas, was to sign an amorphous contract just at the point of exiting. A contract that had no viable funding source. The road fund Mr Mahama tired this project to was the same which the government collateralized road fund through UBA. Not a dime was paid to the contractor for this project. It took this current NPP administration to do all due payments through a different source of funding (€128M) from the UK.

4. The so-called 500 Basic Schools built by NDC is a fallacy. These projects cannot be traced and we challenge the NDC to provide us with the locations for verification.

Also, among the unholy list of lies and pure conjecture proclaimed as Mr Mahama’s legacy is another tale that 1,936 communities were connected to the national grid under rural electrification across the five regions. This does not appear to project the NDC as a bunch of people who read at all or comprehend when they do. Why is the NDC not bold enough to list the communities they connected to the national grade? It is nothing but the usual empty rhetoric seeking to put dust in the ears of the people of the north. We cannot be responding to phantoms. We waiting for the specifics to this non-existing legacy of Mr Mahama.

We also request our good brothers to come clean on the numbers they chained out on the 154 CHPS compounds they claim to have done. They should exactly tell us their where about instead of engaging in their usual hide and lie tactics.

For us in the regions up north, we are blessed with the NPP government and President Akufo-Addo being in charge. Aside from the monumental projects and programmes, we are benefiting from the government; a huge legacy has been left behind in the footprints of our history and successive generations will live to forever eulogize the President. All the little projects of the NDC in the northern region can't be compared to the Tamale Interchange project. Above all, we are today happily coexisting peacefully in a United Dagbon with a central authority giving birth to historic occasions such as the recent Damba festival which saw the eyes of the whole world on the Dagbon Kingdom and Northern Region at large.

In conclusion, the NPP has provided cutting-edge and impactful initiatives and policies that are changing their lives in the northern regions. If Mr Mahama and the NDC disagree with the efficacy, effectiveness and impact of these policies and programs, they should do so by providing ALTERNATIVES and not the flawed argument of reviewing the policies and initiatives of the NPP.

The 2020 general election is going to be a battle of ideas and policies; it would not be about who is much handsome and younger; it will not be about who can create empty slogans; it will not be about who can insult more and do vile propaganda, and it will certainly not be about politics of trivialities, pettiness and unrefined mockery such as this release from their communication officers.

If what the NDC listed are what they term as legacies of the former President John Dramani Mahama, then H.E. Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was right when he asked for John Mahama’s legacy in the north. If these are a Vice-President and President’s legacies, what then will one say are the legacies of MPs and MMDCEs? We, in the Northeast Region, see the creation of the Northeast Region as H.E Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’ legacy.

… Signed …

Mohammed Issah

(Savanna Regional Communication Director)

Tel: 0209475276/0244227266

Sule Salifu

(Northern Regional Communication Director)

Tel: 0244426937

Bukari Ali

(Upper West Regional Communication Director)

Tel: 0204209477

Amos Walibe

(North East Regional Communication Director)

Tel: 0209241977

Issah Sanusi

(Upper East Regional Communication Director)

Tel: 0207573284