Our policy is not one Zongo, one mortuary, we are thinking of schools- Dr. Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has called on the Fulani community to resolve to educate their wards by subscribing to government’s flagship free SHS policy.

Addressing a three days conference of the National Council of Fulani chiefs held in Kintampo, Dr. Bawumia said, unlike the NDC which has promised to build mortuaries in the Zongo communities should they win, the next NPP government will furnish those Muslim dominated communities with model schools.

“So many of our children have the brains and Nana Akufo-Addo said if by the grace of God he becomes president, he wants us to make education free for all Ghanaians. So today if you are in the Zongo, if you are a Fulani… please you have no excuse now for your children not going to school.

“One of the things that we also want to do in the area of education, we are going to start something new next year, every region we are going to build a model senior high school in the Zongo community. So, we will start with sixteen model senior high schools in Zongo communities in every region so that our children can have an opportunity to attend those schools”.

The Vice President further called on the community to reject John Mahama’s one Zongo one mortuary promise.

“Our policy is not one Zongo, one mortuary, we are thinking of schools, model schools. This year, we sent forty students from Zongo communities to Cuba to study medicine because we need more doctors, we need more pathologists and all of that and not mortuaries”.

Dr. Bawumia

On his part, the National President of the council of Fulani Chiefs, Alhaji Iddrisu Mohammed called on the Fulani community to educate their ward as well as develop other artisanal skills as a means of ending the farmer- herdsmen conflict.

“Time has changed [with] Urbanization, industrialization and things like that, so we have to change the system”.

Prior to this, the campaign team for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had refuted claims that its flagbearer has promised to build more mortuaries for Zongo communities when given the nod in the upcoming elections.

James Agyenim-Boateng, spokesperson for the party said neither the former President John Mahama nor any member of the party has made such a promise.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the said publication is mischievous, deliberately distorted and calculated to whip up anti-Muslim sentiments against the NDC”.

This comes after the former president in an interview mentioned a number of interventions aimed at addressing the historical inequalities between Zongo, Deprived Urban Settlements and other communities.

During the interview, the NDC flagbearer being aware of the negative effects of the Alien Compliance Order, indicated his resolve to address the problem inherent in traditional mortuaries.

However, Agyenim-Boateng insists that, the NDC flagbearer promised to “facilitate the establishment of mortuaries in accordance with Islamic custom and practices and collaborate with the Ministry of Health to set up focal teams responsible for procedures that are compliant with Islamic custom and practice at all public mortuaries.”