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Opinions of Monday, 3 July 2023

Columnist: Dr. John-Baptist Naah

Where is the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia now?

Mrs. Samira Bawumia, 2nd Lady of Ghana Mrs. Samira Bawumia, 2nd Lady of Ghana

Mrs. Samira Bawumia in the lead-up to the 2016 general elections was undoubtedly vocal with respect to how Ghana was badly governed under the Mahama-led regime.

Like her husband, Vice President Bawumia, Samira Bawumia was emphatic that Ghanaians were seeing corruption and incompetence everywhere under former President Mahama and urged voters to reject the governing NDC government then.

The theoretically refined economic propaganda submissions and ‘incompetence’ tag for former President Mahama coined by her husband were also re-echoed by Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, leading to the victory of the NPP Party in 2016.

Time has indeed exposed the insincere and super incompetence exhibited by this NPP government, which failed to fight worsening corruption, nepotism, galamsey menace, unsustainable borrowing, etc. leading to the ongoing painful domestic debt exchange programme as a precondition for the IMF loan Agreement.

The conspicuous silence of the Second Lady in the face of these worrying and devastating economic realities under this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime is interestingly concerning, and I am tempted to ask the following questions.

1. Is Mrs. Samira Bawumia not seeing the worsening corruption, nepotism and incompetence going on everywhere in this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime?

2. Is this the kind of governance that the Second Lady wanted Ghanaians to vote for to change their livelihood in 2016?

3. What kind of advice is she giving to her husband who is the head of the Economic Management Team (EMT) now, and yet the national debt and Ghana cedi has escaped the shackles of the former IGP?

4. Is she waiting for the head of the EMT to possibly win the NPP presidential race in November or so before she breaks her deafening silence on how badly or well this government has performed?

Well, the good people of Ghana are now fully aware of the shenanigans and false hope given in 2016 by the second Lady. Now, the weak and shaky fundamentals of the economy and appalling living conditions of Ghanaians have badly exposed her insincere stance.

This is the very reason why the name of the second Lady, Samira Bawumia should be called out now before she resurrects her dead voice again in the event that her husband gets the nod of the NPP supporters.

It is apparent that the Second Lady was engaging in cheap talk and Ghanaians should beware of her future utterances as we go into 2024 general elections.

This NPP government has no viable campaign message for Ghanaians again as they have amazingly disappointed so many Ghanaians including myself with their highly unsatisfactory governance. So far, this is not the government that shows any scintilla of proof that they have the ‘men’ to execute government business effectively and efficiently.

For instance, the so-called ‘year of roads’ has become ‘year of potholes’ and ‘Ghana beyond aid’ has now become ‘Ghana begging for aid’ as well as failed campaign promises such as 1D1F, 1V1D, and the wobbly fSHS programmes are some of the failures of this government.

The Ghanaian voter is more discerning than before and very much poised to exercise their franchise come 2024 once again. The Assin North victory for Hon. James Gyakye Quayson and the NDC Party in the just-ended by-election confirms this position.

Ghana badly needs rescue now and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that this inept and insensitive Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime is shown the political power exit on December 7, 2024.