NDC Zongo Caucus pooh Pooh’s Nana Addo’s Zongo Development Fund

Nana Addo

Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the press.
National executive members of caucus present
Regional Executives
Constituency executives
We thank you so much for honoring our invitation to our press conference to react to some statements made by the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Akufo-Addo and his running mate Dr Muhammadu Bawumia at their Nasara conference in Kumasi some weeks ago.

On the 30th January, 2016 the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Akufo-Addo at their first national Nasara conference in Kumasi reiterated his 2012 pledge to introduce Zongo Development fund to help boast infrastructure development in the Zongo Communities.

To quote him,” In the 2012 campaign, I announced to the country that if, God-willing, I was elected to lead our country, I would do something never done before in our history to tackle the deprived nature of the Zongos. I said an Akuffo-Addo government would establish a special fund called the Zongo Development Fund. This fund will be aimed at enhancing infrastructural development in Zongo communities, in order to improve the lives of their residents. I am going to repeat that commitment in our 2016 manifesto, and let me go a step further and assure you that, in office, I will carry out this pledge to the letter.”

We Members of Zongo Caucus wish to put on record that, the NPP cannot boast of a single policy geared towards the development of Zongo in the entire 8 years of their administration, with a Northern Vice President.

It is an open secret that, President John Dramani Mahama’s administration is executing key infrastructural development across the entire length and breadth of the country which our Zongo communities are beneficiaries.

In the area of roads, 70% of roads in predominantly zongo communities in the country are tarred and work is still ongoing in some areas. In Ashanti Region for instance, we have Asawase, Oforikrom, Ayigya, Ejura, Tafo, Yalwa, Asante Bekwai just to mention but a few.

We see the so-called Zongo development fund a sham and a calculated attempt to swindle the unsuspected zongo voter.

Dr. Bawumia talked about restructuring of the Hajj board and he naively said, they will bring back the allowances for the Islamic Teachers. “We [NPP] will also bring back the allowance to Arabic tutors. We will champion both Arabic and English language across the country….. We will also restructure the hajj pilgrimage. We need the support of the Zongo communities in order to take power from the governing NDC,” he said;

The NDC government in 7 years has been able to restructure and expand the Hajj pilgrimage. The days where prospective pilgrims are treated likes slaves at the airport in the scorching sun is a thing of the past. Again, days when people pay fares and get stranded at Accra is also a thing of the past. The construction of a permanent Hajj Village is an attestation. Again, because of the judicious execution of hajj affairs by this government, our quota to the pilgrimage has been increased tremendously by the Saudi Arabian government. The Npp in 2008 airlifted 2300. Last year we were able to airlift 5400 pilgrims of which Bawumia was part. This is a significant improvement.

The NDC government is establishing a permanent pilgrimage commission of which a three member committee has been set up to see to the draft of a bill, to be sent to parliament to be passed in to law.

We want to inform Dr. Bawumia that, Islamic teachers do not receive allowances but, rather Salaries. In fact it was started by the Rawlings’ administration. There are known Nasara coordinators who work with the Ghana Education Service as Permanent Arabic Teachers. He should update himself well before making any pronouncement.

Under the President Mahama Administration, the Zongos have seen major Development in terms of educational infrastructure. Almost every basic School under the Islamic Education Unit across the country have new classroom blocks.

For the first time, Senior High schools within the Zongo Communities have been adopted and expanded by the NDC government. Examples are Sakafia, Azhariya, Tijaniya, Tawheed SHS and others. In Ashanti region, two new community day Senior High Schools are under construction in Ejura and Asawase respectively.

In improving the livelihood of our Zongo Communities, Over 12,000 Kayayees in the Ashanti Region have been registered under NHIS for free to enable them have access to free health care.

Many of our underprivileged Zongo elders are beneficiaries of the expansion of the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) program.

In terms of appointment, out of the 30 MMDCEs in Ashanti, 9 capable Zongo people were appointed. An opportunity we missed throughout the entire 8 years of the Npp.

In a bid to unite the Zongo Communities, the NDC government has organized all Zongo Chiefs for a National Zongo chief’s conference in Accra to enable them form Association of Zongo Chiefs.

During, the limited registration last year by the Electoral Commission, it was widely reported that these same kayayees were denied the opportunities to register in areas like Ashtown, Bantama, Asafo and other Akan dominated areas. They were told to go to the Northern Region to Register.

It laughable when, the NPP organized their abortive fundraising in Kumasi a fortnight ago, they told the whole world that, Kayayees donated 5,000 cedis.

We therefore urge the NPP to allow their new found ‘love’ to register where they live. For us to know that they really embrace and accept them.

We are reliably informed that the NPP are attempting to prevent people from Zongo and Northern extraction from Registering in the upcoming Limited Registration by the electoral commission.

We in the Zongo Caucus wish to serve a notice that, we will fiercely resist any attempt by the NPP to prevent those People from registering where they genuinely live.

We thank you all for coming.
LONG LIVE NDC
LONG LIVE ZONGO CAUCUS
LONG LIVE GHANA
JM TA ZARCHE
SHEE KENAN!!!
AWAL MOHAMMED
REGIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICER
(0243201093, 0268746427,)
MOHAMMED AWAL SWALLAH
DEP. COMMUNICATION OFFICER.
(0261656420, 0243817780) …