Vice-President Bawumia addressing NPP Youth rally in Tamale
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has said the youth should never make a mistake to follow the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) because it is capable of messing up their future aspirations.
He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Akufo-Addo had demonstrated a high level of commitment towards positive youth development and must be supported to continue its good works.
After leading the NPP youth to health walk through the principal streets of Tamale in the Northern Region over the weekend, the Vice-President addressed a heavily attended rally at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium.
The event was put together by the NPP National Youth Wing under its National Youth Organizer, Henry Nana Boakye, aka Nana B, and it formed part of activities to climax the party’s National Youth Conference that was designed to set the tone for a vigorous 2020 campaign for the NPP to retain power.
Mahama Banter
He once again pulled the legs of former President John Mahama who is staging a comeback for the NDC, saying “John Mahama might be a nice man but he is an incompetent nice man; the Presidency is not for nice men!”
He said that all the little things Mr. Mahama and his NDC claimed they could not do because things were ‘difficult’ are being done by the Akufo-Addo administration, but they could not show what they used the money for.
He said “a comparison between the first three years of the NPP government and that of the NDC is a clear case of ‘Boot for Charlie Wote’!”
85 Achievements
The Vice-President listed 85 specific examples to show that the NPP members are better managers of the country than the NDC. He said even comparing the NDC’s eight years to the NPP’s only three in office, there was ample evidence to show that the NDC should never be allowed to lead the country again.
The Vice-President said, among other things, that “we promised Free SHS to reduce the hardship on parents and we have delivered. We promised to restore teacher and nursing training allowances and we have delivered. We promised to establish a Zongo Development Fund and we have delivered. We promised a renewed focus on agriculture through the Planting for Food and Jobs programme and we have delivered.”
He mentioned the implementation of the National ID Cards policy, National Property Digital Address System, digitizing the clearance of goods at the ports through paperless ports system, three Development Authorities (Northern, Middle Belt and Coastal), One District One Factory programme, One Village One Dam and One District One Warehouse programme.
He also said there was the implementation of a Nation Builders Corps (NABCo) programme to reduce the hardships on the unemployed graduate, the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) to provide support and reduce hardships of entrepreneurs, leveraging natural resources to obtain a $2 billion innovative infrastructure financing arrangement with Sinohydro, establish integrated bauxite and aluminium industry, mobile money interoperability, digitization of the economy, reviving railways, among other programmes.
One Good Term
Opening the conference on Friday on the theme, “One Good Term Deserves Another”, Nana B said the NPP would not be complacent but work hard to retain President Akufo-Addo in office.
The National Chairman of the NPP, Freddie W. Blay, encouraged the youth to continue to be loyal, selfless and diligent in their service to the party.
National Organiser Sammi Awuku charged the youth to look beyond social media campaigns and move to the grounds to sell the good achievements of the government to the electorate.
The conference was chaired by former National Chairman and Campaign Manager of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu, with Second Lady Samira Bawumia as the guest of honour.
Mr. Omari Wadie (3rd Nat’l Vice Chairman), Mr. Sammi Awuku and his two deputies, Kate Gyamfua (Nat’l Women’s Organiser) and Abdul Aziz Haruna Futa (Nat’l NASARA Coordinator) were all there to support the youth wing.
The conference attracted a lot of ministers, deputy ministers, CEOs of parastatals and other government appointees.
Some ministers and deputy ministers present were Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence; Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education; Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Minister of Information; Sheikh Dr. Mustapha Abdul Hamid, Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development; Sailfu Saeed, Northern Regional Minister and Pius Enam Hadzide, Deputy Minister of Information.
From Eric Kombat, Tamale