He is the Vice-President in recent memory that one cannot wish away in this our Republic. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice-President in the current government, was once again in his best elements last Tuesday with country, kinsmen and women on his mind.
Dr Bawumia was speaking at the government’s Town Hall meeting and Results Fair in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi. He went to the fair to account to the entire people of Ghana, his government’s fulfilled or yet to be fulfilled promises.
Manifesto promises
From the A to Z of their manifesto promises and on topics from the economy through to education, health, to agriculture, industry, jobs, foreign policy, electricity, water, the banking sector and many others, the Vice-President did what he does best as the great communicator that he is.
He was on point with his message, commanded interest, succeeded in drawing his audience’s attention and for the over two hours that he was on his feet, he got me spellbound, glued to my radio and later my television set. I did not want to miss his delivery for anything else.
His message of the day was a serious one and he made sure that being on top of issues, he brought every bit of it alive.
As he went through his delivery with a body language that said it all, his modest smiles and similes were graciously applied. Going through the government’s tick-off list, he took cognisance of where he was standing, his immediate audience and quickly connected where necessary by using the Twi language to illustrate some of his points. That he is an effective communicator who succeeds in carrying his audience with him is in no doubt.
In our current dispensation, he is a great asset to his party, particularly as they head towards the competitive December general election.
Dr Bawumia’s recounted list of achievements and what is in the pipeline are for the people to judge. However, for me as a citizen and not a spectator, what perhaps excited me most was his delivery on the banking crises.
Banking crises
I had never had the reality of the situation that confronted the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and for that matter the financial industry so well explained as he did. He juxtaposed the action taken by the BoG with the crises that could have accosted the nation in terms of credibility in the banking sector, job losses and total investment losses should the BOG not have taken the bold step to clean up the mess.
The icing on the cake for investors who have been caught in the web of the financial sector crises was the Vice-President’s assurance last Tuesday that no one would lose his or her investment. Though yet to be fulfilled, it was great news, especially coming on the heels of a recent promise by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that every investor would be paid their locked-up investment.
Payments
Dr Bawumia in his delivery in Kumasi emphasised that each investor would be paid the full amount saved at the time of the collapse. He went on to explain that the government had asked the receiver of the collapsed banks to speed up the validation process for payments to be effected.
My heart was lifted up and one is inclined to believe that many others who have had their investments locked up for a year or more would rejoice at the news.
On January 4, 2020, this same frustration of locked up investments in collapsed financial institutions was on my mind when I had cause to write an “open letter” to the receiver in my column in the Daily Graphic.
In the “open letter” entitled: “Best New Year gift to consider”, I appealed to the receiver to add to his list of considerations and pay off locked-up investments of all senior citizens as a matter of priority. Most of them had faith in the regulated financial institutions and, therefore, entrusted their life savings in the investment instruments that were available. They took decisions for their money to work for them in retirement.
The waiting period has been treacherous and far too long for depositors. Hearts have been broken and disappointments and grief have taken over. The Vice-President has, however, reiterated the President’s words and assured all investors that not a pesewa of their locked-up investment would be lost.
Now hope was rekindled last Tuesday and suffering investors would be counting the days thanks to the Bawumia factor.
Source: Vicky Wireko - E-mail: [email protected]
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Please do you think that will happen?
NANA CAN MAKE BAWUMIA THE PRESIDENT OF GHANA BY "DONATING" THE LAST YEAR OF HIS PRESIDENCY TO HIM. ALL NANA HAS TO DO IS TO FEIGN "SICKNESS" OR OR "TIREDNESS" ON GROUNDS OF OLD AGE AND HAND OVER TO HIM JUST AS NPP IS ABOUT TO ELECT A FLAG BEARER
I am just scared for the political future for Bawumia. If Nana Addo happens to win 2020 election will Bawumia have the needed support to lead the party in 2024. There are many men in NPP who are waiting for their turns after Nana Addo to take over from him. Observing from afar, Bawumia and his wife feel some sense of entitlement of the presidency after Nana Addo which is very unlikely to occur and this is where I see Bawumia's political career coming to an end. The three of you below commenters heaping praising on him, even if you have the chance to vote during your delegates conference after 2020 or in 2024, will you cast it for him or he is just being used now to win power.
RIGHT POLITICAL CALCULATION OF NPP AND GOOD SECURITY OPERATION FOR GOVERNMENT AND THE NATION WILL KEEP NDC AS NOISEEE MAKERS FOR LONG. LITTLE BY LITTLE THE EYES OF MANY GHNAIANS ARE OPENING TO ESSENTIAL MATTERS OF GOVERNANCE. NPP GOVERNMENT ON ASSUMPTION HAD TO DEAL WITH HUGE DEBT TO UNPAID ROAD CONTRACTORS BY THE PREVIOUS REGIME, HUGE UNPAID NHI , HUGE UNEMPLOYED NURSES AND UNIVERSITY GRADUATES, AND POOR ECONOMIC CONDITION. THE ABILITY FOR THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION TO TURN THE TABLE AROUND TO PAID DEBTS OF NHI, ROAD CONSTRUCTION, NEW TEACHERS AND NURSES IS PLUS FOR THE NATION. GHANA IS TAKEN OUT OF IMF CONDITIONALS. MORE NURSES, TEACHERS UNIVERSITY GRADUATES, AND MANY OTHERS ARE EMPLOYED. THE ECONOMIC INDICATORS ARE STILL GOOD. IN ADDITIONS THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROVIDED FREE SHC NATIONWIDE. IT HAS CREATED AND IS BUILDING OF NEW REGIONS, MORE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, NEW DAMS, SUPPORTING FACTORIES ACROSS THE NATION AND YET THE ECONOMIC INDICATORS ARE STILL GOOD FOR GHANA. ALL THIS HAS BECOME POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE RULING GOVERNMENT HAS MOVE AWAY FROM THE POLICY OF LOOT AND SHARE TO THAT OF LET US DEVELOP ALL GHANA. NEVER AGAIN SHOULD WE RETURN TO THR LOOT AND SHARE WHICH HAS INCLUDED GHANA IN THE NOTORIOUS INTERNATIONAL AIRBUS SCANDAL.
Alottey Jacobs said it all. I will sing the praises of the President Nana Addo for having the vision and ability to select Dr.Bawumia. Most npp people kicked against him. Today, without a shadow of a doubt, he is npp’s biggest asset. Dare i say that after Nana, he will make a fine president. He is very intelligent.
Bawumia factor, NDC's worst nightmare in 2020 elections.