Dr. Bawumia being assisted to put on the ‘agwada’ by Pishigu Lana Alhassan Andani
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has honoured the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, by presenting to him a special ‘agwada’ during the 61st Annual Maulid Celebration to mark the birth of Prophet Muhammed at Fadama on Saturday, 8th December, 2018.
Making the surprise presentation to the Vice President, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu said the gesture was in appreciation of Dr. Bawumia’s passion, contribution and commitment to the cause of Islam.
“His Excellency the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has done so much, and this presentation is to acknowledge and appreciate his contribution, passion and commitment to the cause of Islam,” Sheikh Aremeyao Shuaib, Spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, announced on his behalf.
Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu added that the presentation was also a manifestation of the cordial relationship which exists between father and son, explaining further that his ‘son,’ Dr. Bawumia, has been a great servant.
The presentation, done at the peak of the ceremony, was a surprise gesture from the National Chief Imam.
Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia thanked the National Chief Imam for the honour and symbolically wore the special ‘batakari’ to rapturous applause.
Earlier, the Vice President flaunted the government’s performance in the past 23 months since assuming power. The tenure, he said, had been characterised by the fulfillment of promises made to Ghanaians.
He explained that most of the initiatives carried out by government within the short period had laid a solid foundation for the transformation agenda to take off smoothly.
“Many of the things we are doing, Ghana hasn’t done that since independence and that is in 61 years, and we have to do it to transform the economy” he said.
He added that in spite of the challenges facing the country, government was relentless in fulfilling its mandate of transforming the lives of the people.
“We promised to restore economic growth of this country and we have delivered on that. We promised to reduce inflation and we have delivered on that. We promised to reduce interest rate and we have delivered on that. We promised to reduce fiscal deficit and we have delivered on that. We promised to reduce the debt burden and we have delivered on that.
“We promised to start one district, one factory and we are delivering on that; we promised one village one dam and we are delivering on that. We promised free senior high school and we are delivering on that,” he stated.
The event was on the theme: “Teachings of the Life of the Prophet Muhammed on Humanity with Reference to Women and Children”.
It was attended by celebrants from across the country and it was made up of traditional authorities, religious leaders, diplomatic corps, political leaders and some Muslim followers.
Chief of Pishigu, Pishigu-Naa Alhassan Andani, who chaired the event, extolled the leadership qualities of the National Chief Imam describing him as a cardinal point in sustaining the peace in the country.
“We the youth of this country draw great inspiration from your leadership and we will continue to strive to make Ghana a peaceful place and contribute our quota to national development and the cause of Islam,” he said.
Pishi Naa Andani, who is also the Managing Director of Stanbic Bank, urged Muslims to be disciplined, exemplify worship with deeds, and hence love for one another.
Also present at the ceremony was the Spiritual Leader of the Prophets and Spiritual Churches Council of Ghana (PSCC), Nakoa Nazareth Ansah Jamson, who called for more support in promoting religious tourism and culture in the country as Ghana was to benefit immensely from its diversity in religion.
By Issa Mohammed