In an attempt to regain power, former President John Dramani Mahama, the opposition National Democratic Congress’ presidential candidate, is attempting to win over the Muslim population.
The former president believes that the NDC should be given another shot at the elections on Saturday, December 7, 2024, since it better reflects the interests of the Muslim community.
Mr. Mahama said that the NDC has shown over the years that it had the Muslim community at heart at a special prayer session with the Muslim community in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, yesterday as part of his campaign in the area.
For instance, he claimed that the Islamic Education Unit was established to incorporate Islamic principles and practices into Ghana’s curriculum during the NDC administration of the late President Jerry John Rawlings.
He added that the NDC government was responsible for ensuring that Muslims had holidays for Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha and that, should they be elected president again, they will add two more.
In his capacity as president, he highlighted that 400 Ghanaians received scholarships to study medicine in Cuba, 200 more to study in Turkey, a number of Islamic schools, and a friendly hajj pilgrimage arrangement, of which 67 were Muslims.
Mr. Mahama stated that if he were elected, his next administration would build a permanent Hajj Village and guarantee that Muslims in the Ashanti area and the middle belt traveled by plane from Kumasi to Mecca to do the Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.
The former president added that Saturday’s elections were about who has shown a commitment to the welfare of Muslims and the ability to steer the economy back toward progress, not about who is a Muslim or a Christian.
The former president believed that Ghana’s economy had never been so poorly run and that in order to fix it, he would require the assistance of all Ghanaians.
“The economy has been damaged beyond repairs but we have to repair it. It won’t be easy. There is a lot of work to be done but with the support of all Ghanaians, we can return our economy to the path of growth,” Mr. Mahama said in Twi.
He charged that the Akufo-Addo administration was handling the loans they had taken out on behalf of the people in a frivolous manner.
“If I got US$11.5 billion in Eurobonds as this government has done, Ghana would have been transformed but they wasted the money on unproductive ventures.
“All the work I did in government including the terminal three, the new Tema port, hospitals, railway and the others cost us US$3.5 billion,” he stressed
Source: newsthemegh.com