How Mahama intends to raise US$10 billion for his Big Bush Agenda

I believe Ghana will only progress if its leaders will have the will and wherewithal to 'think outside the box' and take some bold 'unpopular' decisions.

Years back When John Mahama was president, an Assembly Member called me from my district complaining bitterly that they weren’t even given a margarine tin of rice by the Assembly for Christmas; and he said he didn’t understand why president Mahama should ban the distribution of hampers during festivities since all past governments did it. He sounded very angry and added all manner of things. But he swallowed his words after I had done some explanations.

Friends, the painful truth is that the distribution of hampers at Christmas was not the issue. The problem was the abuse. Sometimes, hampers given out to staff of government institutions were just mere pittance, but check the Auditor Generals’ reports on such expenditures and you’ll be scandalised.

This bold decision by John Dramani Mahama saved the country eleven million Ghana Cedis every year, and this could build more than fifty CHIPS compounds at the time to save the lives of our women who die during childbirth because of lack of proper medical care.

With this clarification, my friend at my District Assembly was happy to know that the small sacrifice he made could help save the life of pregnant women and other rural folks who need primary healthcare.

Few days ago, on his campaign tour, the former president made the following statement: "If elected as president, I will allow anti-corruption institutions to work. Nobody should come and call me to save them when they catch you. Any person whether in my government or outside my government, if the anti-corruption institution are dealing with you that is your business because we must save this country."

John Dramani Mahama has shown clear signs of what a quintessential president can do, and that is why I think he is unique and needed back at the presidency.

People have been wondering if the next government could bring any development to this country judging from the extent to which the economy has been mismanaged culminating in huge debts and empty national coffers.

I doffed my hat for JDM and said, 'Herrh, JM, who born dog?' when he gave the afore-.mentioned hint on how he is going to fight corruption when he becomes president of the Republic again, and I will explain.

According to a report by the Ghana Integrity Initiative in 2018, Ghana loses up to US$3 billion annually to corruption. This means that with his strategy to fight corruption, he will save US$12 billion in four years which will be more than the US$10 billion needed for the Big Push Infrastructural Development Agenda. If this is not a super strategy of 'thinking outside the box', then I don't know what it is.