My attention has been drawn to a publication with the above headline seeking to vainly exalt the Vice President with more sophistry, dishonesty and gullibility and in the process, unwittingly associated the Office of the National Chief Imam with politics. First of all, we are aware of the non political nature of the high office of the National Chief Imam and therefore deem it unfortunate to attempt indicting the image of the office.
I therefore write with the prime objective to exonerate the venerable office, proclaim its innocence and declare its high pedigree which is obviously above cheap politics engaged in by a few centred people.
Be that as it may, I still bear the responsibility to clarify the issues and set the record straight. It is a public knowledge that the NPP has never been a good friend of the Zango’s given the bitter history of abuse, seizure of property’s, maiming of many Zango people in the Aliens Compliance Order of 1969 and as a result the NPP cannot turn around to pretend to care about the welfare of the Zango’s.
The issue of Bawumia moving away from the rice and sugar politics is far from the truth. Recently during the month of Ramadan, Dr. Bawumia through his aides donated bags of rice and other food items to the Burma Camp Mosque. See below
“Ghana Armed Forces – News | Vice President Donates to Muslim Community in Burma Camp” https://gafonline.mil.gh/news/295
Again, the NPP as a party led by their chairman Freddy Blay and of which Bawumia is a member donated bags of rice and other items to the National Chief Imam for Ramadan. See link below:
“NPP Donates To National Chief Imam and the Muslim Community – Bryt FM” https://mybrytfmonline.com/npp-donates-to-national-chief-imam-and-the-muslim-community/amp/
Then again, the son of the former vice president, Farouk Aliu Mahama also donated thousands of rice and sugar to Muslims in the Yendi constituency. Find link below:
“Farouk Aliu Mahama donates rice to Muslims at Yendi” https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Farouk-Aliu-Mahama-donates-rice-to-Muslims-at-Yendi-771066
Same can be said for many NPP MP’s who also donated bags of rice and sugar to the chief’s and Imams in their constituencies during festivities.
So it is a fallacy to say that Bawumia and his party are moving away from the rice and sugar politics. These are incontrovertible evidence I have put out. So I plead with the handlers of the Chief Imam to please verify some of these things so we dont make statements that will hunt us.
My search on the Facebook wall of the Chief Imam where the Imam is alleged to have made a ‘rare response’ to a statement put out by the NDC Zango caucus cannot be found. Its absolutely false. Aside the official post congratulating Bawumia on his selection as Running mate when the latter visited him, the Chief Imam has not made any statement in response to the statement put out by the Zango caucus according to my direct source.
As to who did that to tarnish the image of the Imam, I leave it for posterity to judge.
However, let me state for the records that, the NDC govt has always cared for our Zango’s. Aside the two holidays of which the NPP rejected, the Mahama govt saw to the asphalting of some roads in the Zango’s, gave out 200 scholarships to students to study medicine in Cuba which included Muslims, upgraded the Tamale Airport to airlift pilgrims direct to Mecca, put up a Hajj Village to accommodate pilgrims, subsidized Hajj fares for several years, constructed Chip Compounds, Inaugurated the Council of Zango Chiefs and provided them with a bus. The NDC government further gave national recognition to the Office of the Chief Imam and other sects, constructed boreholes and drainage system in Kawukudi and Asawase, gave out Masloc Loans and LEAP support to our women to trade with and many others.
The NDC also established the Islamic Education unit of which Sheik Armiyao Shuaib, the current Spokesperson of the National Chief Imam once headed and saw to the recruitment of many Arabic teachers into schools. What is more gratifying than this?
Given the facts presented so far, it is obviously clear that the NDC aside giving relief to the poor during festive periods, takes serious concerns about the development of our Zango’s.
So I humbly advice that persons close to the Imam to aprise themselves with issues so that they are not deceived by the NPP Govt.
Thank you
Alhaji Mustapha Abubakar
