Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia: An Embodiment Of 21st Century Leadership Of Service, Possibility And Bold Solutions For Ghana’s Next Chapter
Fondly do we, as Ghanaians, hope and fervently do we pray that we are blessed with a leader who can carry the nation on a journey of POSSIBILITY to realize our dreams regardless of the limitations that may be placed on us. We have hoped and prayed for a leader with great compassion for all and malice towards none.
We have hoped and prayed for a leader who will always prioritize the national interest over and above the interest of a select few; a leader who will make life comfortable for us; and a leader who will work like a bull to achieve results, and that too, with efficiency.
After many years of hoping and praying, it appears the moment we have been yearning for has finally arrived, and that leader we have been hoping and praying for is now before us.
In all humility, I say without equivocation that, among the candidates vying for the presidency of our dear country in the 2024 general elections, only one candidate has thus far, demonstrated that he possesses all the above traits we have been looking for in a leader, and that candidate is H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
First, Dr. Bawumia is the candidate carrying the message of POSSIBILITY and BOLD SOLUTIONS for our country that are responsive to the needs, opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.
His vision of building a Ghana that can participate fully in the fourth industrial revolution using systems and data; a Ghana of bold solutions for jobs and business; a Ghana that taps into the resourcefulness and talents of her people irrespective of their different political, religious and ethnic backgrounds; a Ghana with clean water, food-sufficiency, and prosperity for all can best be described as the GAMECHANGER.
Beyond his vision, another attribute of Dr. Bawumia that distinguishes him from the other candidates particularly the candidate of the main opposition party is that Dr. Bawumia is INCORRUPTIBLE. Throughout his adult life, private and in public service, there has, till date, not been even a single allegation of corruption or abuse of office made against Dr. Bawumia. He has also never been investigated for corruption and abuse of office by any institution, local or international.
He proved again that he cannot even be entrapped to compromise his principle of incorruptibility, as was confirmed in Anas Aremeyaw’s “Galamsey Economy Documentary”, featuring Charles Adu Boahen.
On the other hand, the life of Dr. Bawumia’s main opponent is replete with corruption scandals. In fact, antigraft institutions including the courts in UK, US and France have all cited him as recipient of bribes through his family members, acting as intermediaries.
He was also investigated on many occasions by institutions in Ghana for his involvement in corruption scandals, some of which made findings of impropriety against him.
CHRAJ investigated him in the Kanazoe bribery scandal, where investigations revealed that the Burkinabe contractor, Jibriel Kanazoe, had gifted him a Ford Expedition and other inducements for him to influence the award of road contracts to the foreign contractor. CHRAJ indeed found that he had breached the “gift policy”, which is essentially, a euphemism for corruption.
OSP investigated him in the Airbus Scandal and determined that his direct involvement as Government Official 1 had occasioned a breach of conflict of interest rules. Again, his boss was compelled to set up a Committee of Enquiry to investigate him over his suspicious dealings in the purchase of some 5 aircrafts including Embraer 190 and a Hanger for the Ghana Armed Forces. With such damning record in public service, he certainly cannot be an alternative for the good people of Ghana.
There is no gainsaying that Dr. Bawumia’s mindset of possibility made him standout among all the Vice Presidents we have had in this country since Independence. Yes, he proved that it is possible for a Vice President to spearhead many far-reaching interventions to significantly impact the lives of Ghanaians.
Today, because of Bawumia, it is possible for Ghanaians to access various public services by a simple click of a computer button or a mobile phone. It is possible, because of Bawumia, for Ghanaians to easily transfer money from their bank accounts to mobile money accounts and from their mobile money accounts to bank accounts across all networks without visiting the bank.
It is possible, because of Bawumia, for Ghanaians to buy ECG credits with their mobile phones without going to any ECG vendor; possible for electricity consumers who are using postpaid ECG meters to pay their electricity bills without visiting any ECG office.
It is possible for Ghanaians to renew their health insurance subscriptions with their phones without visiting NHIS offices; possible for almost every Ghanaian to have access to a digital national ID (Ghana) Card which can now be used to travel across the globe even without a travelling passport; possible to implement the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP -initiative).
It is possible, because of Bawumia, for blood and other critical supplies to be delivered to any geographical area in Ghana in a more secure, reliable and timely manner with the help of drone technology.
Ultimately, today, because of Bawumia, the Ghanaian economy is becoming increasingly digitized and formalized in a manner that makes life easy while at the same time enhancing revenue generation, bolstering the fight against crime and saving the Ghanaian taxpayer millions of Ghana cedis which would have otherwise been lost through corruption and systemic wastage.
So, as clearly demonstrated, Dr. Bawumia does not only have an excellent vision that resonates with the exigencies of 21st Century Ghana, but also has a proven track record and credibility.
If, as Vice President, without Executive Authority in terms of Article 58 of the Constitution, he could achieve all these (i.e. spearhead over 30 life transforming initiatives) and more, then one can only imagine how much he would be able to achieve when he becomes President, with full Executive Authority to implement his own vision, in his own style and on his own terms.
Dr. Bawumia’s opposite number, the perpetual flagbearer of the main opposition political party was once a Vice President and one thing that is certain about his Vice Presidency is that no Ghanaian can remember any single policy or intervention he spearheaded during his Vice Presidency.
Even with that, he was given a chance to be President, and today, he wants to be President again despite the humiliation he suffered at the polls. It is a travesty of justice to suggest that Ghanaians should go back, look back and bring back the man whom we gave opportunity but failed us because of which we rejected him, not once, but twice, because of his horrible record.
Why should we go back when we can move forward? Even dwarfs whose legs point backward, when they are moving, they don’t move backward, they move forward. Certainly, as a country, we must move and when we are moving, it must be forward with the visionary Dr. Bawumia, the embodiment of 21st century leadership of service, possibility and bold solutions for our country’s Next Chapter by the grace of God.
On the occasion of his 61st Anniversary, I join the rest of the World to celebrate his accomplishments and invaluable service to our dear country. Indeed, in Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ghana’s next President by God’s grace, lies the key to Ghana’s prosperity. IT IS POSSIBLE.
Assalamu alaik
#ForGodAndCountry
Source: Lawyer Iddi Muhayu-Deen/[email protected]
