The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah Region have registered their disappointment in Vice President HE Alhaji Dr Mahamuud Bawumia over some comments he made pertaining to the Damongo water project on his visit to the region on the 14th of February, 2022.
In a press statement issued by the communications director of the party, Malik Basintale said though they (NDC) are disappointed, they feel vindicated in their long standing position that the Akufo Addo, Bawumia led government has nothing to offer the indigenes of the Savannah Region.
“Whilst we stand disappointed in yet again another empty visit of the vice president, we appear vindicated in our long standing position that the Akufo Addo, Bawumia led government has nothing but lies and hollow rhetorics to offer the indigenes of the Savannah Region and constantly renews that mandate anytime they visit on a political tour,” part of the statement said.
According to the statement, the Akufo-Addo led government has long peddled falsehood and deceit over the said Damongo water project.
It added that during the 45th Gonjaland Youth Association Congress held in Bole on 3rd April, 2021, Bawumia stated, “the Damongo water project is ongoing and will soon be ready for commissioning.”
“On the 14th of February, 2022, nearly one year after, the same Bawumia at the Yagbonwura’s palace has now stated that mobilization has been secured for the Damongo water project and the contractor is going to come and start work.”
According to the NDC, President Akufo-Addo’s government feels delighted and fulfilled anytime they succeed in throwing dust into the eyes of their elders.
“All these rhetorics come on the back of the president himself, claiming to cut sod for the Damongo water project on the 29th July 2020 and assuring the people of Damongo that funding has been secured and works were to commence before the 2020 elections and completed in 18 months and as such needed their votes to ensure his victory.”
The statement further revealed that President Akufo-Addo returned in July 2021 to tell the Yagbonwura and the people of the Savannah Region that funds had been secured already, but due to corona virus, the project was delayed and was to commence in August 2021.
“The question now is, who then do we believe? The “many mouthed” vice president Bawumia or the consistently misled president Akufo Addo as the Damongo water project till date is still in a limbo?”
Find the full press statement below:
Press Release
16th February, 2022.
WE ARE TIRED OF THE LIES AND SUGAR-COATED TALKS WITH NO ACTION – A DAY AFTER BAWUMIA’S VISIT TO THE SAVANNAH REGION.
The NDC Savannah region is once again in a state of shock and melancholy following the visit of the vice president, Bawumia into the Savannah region on the 14th of February, a day set aside to mark the exhibition of genuine love but not deceptions and propaganda. One would have thought the vice president would, for the first time, be charitable enough to recognise the essence of that day, but instead, he settled for the latter.
Whilst we stand disappointed in yet again another empty visit of the vice president, we appear vindicated in our long standing position that the Akufo-Addo, Bawumia led government has nothing but lies and hollow rhetorics to offer the indigenes of the Savannah region and constantly renews that mandate anytime they visit on a political tour. It appears President Akufo-Addo feels delighted and fulfilled anytime they succeed in throwing dust into the eyes of our elders.
To prove our point on a few uncoordinated lies and usual Rhetorics from the NPP usually channelled through our Northern brother, Bawumia, kindly find below:
Firstly, at the 45th Gonjaland Youth Association Congress in bole, on the 3rd of April, 2021, Bawumia stated, “The Damongo water project is ongoing and will soon be ready for commissioning.”
On the 14th of February 2022, nearly 1 year after, the same Bawumia at the Yagbon-wura’s palace has now stated that “Mobilisation has just been secured for the Damongo water project and the contractor is going to come and start work”.
All these rhetorics come at the back of the President himself, claiming to cut sod for the Damongo water project on the 29th July 2020 and assuring the people of Damongo that funding had been secured and works were to commence before the 2020 elections and completed in 18months and as such needed their votes to ensure his victory.
The same Akufo-Addo returned in July 2021 to tell the Yagbon-wura and the people of the Savannah region that funds had been secured already, but due to the corona virus, the project was delayed and was to commence in August 2021.
The question now is, who then do we believe? The “many-mouthed” vice president Bawumia or the consistently misled president Akufo-Addo as the Damongo water project till date is still in a limbo?
This is the first reason why we, the indigenes of the Savannah region, do not and will never take President Akufo-Addo and his vice president Bawumia serious anymore.
Secondly, the duplicitous vice president Bawumia again made assertions to the fact that the Debre inland port was soon to be completed as one of the government’s projects. This is clearly false as the project is a private project fully funded by a private investor and has no business with the NPP government. We therefore request that the vice-president stay away from touting this as their achievement so as not to discourage the investor from continuing works on that project.
Third is the claim by the vice president that the government had provided enough boreholes for the Savannah region. This is again false as the sanitation and water resources minister in December 2021 confirmed through a parliamentary document that no borehole nor small town water system had been provided for the Savannah region. Where then did Jocular Bawumia get his different set of facts from?
Amidst all these lies and falsehoods, the double-dealing vice president Bawumia went further to as usual make his humongous but empty promises, among which was the setting up of a module school of international standards at busunu.
We dare ask him the state of just 10 of his sweet old promises to the Savannah region ever since he started visiting just in case he has forgotten;
1. Where is the 1 million dollars per Constituency?
2. Where is the 1 district, 1 factory you promised us?
3. What is the state of the 1 village, 1 dam you claimed to have started?
4. Where is the regional house of chiefs you cut sod for? We hope you saw the land being used as a grass cutter feeding point on your way to Yagbon-wura’s palace?
5. Where is the daboya bridge and road you promised at the Gonjaland Youth Association Congress and at wasipe wura’s Palace?
6. Where is our share of the 350 senior high schools you promised?
7. Where are the district hospitals you promised under agenda 111?
8. Where are the farmlands of the so-called beneficiaries of your planting for food and jobs policy?
9. Where is our regional industrial park you promised?
10. What is the state of maintenance work on the fufulso-Sawla road you promised?
These are the only reasons Bawumia should be visiting the region, at least to render an unqualified apology to the chiefs and indigenes for the deceit of failed promises and not to use our region as a pillar to launch his campaign for Flagbearership in his party.
We wish to state that, so long as the NPP, Akufo-Addo, or Bawumia stay in power, the people of the Savannah region remain hopeless of development.
We are certainly used to 5 years of sweet sugar-coated talks with no action and will no longer be deceived by election seeking masquerades.
Source: Modern Ghana