We won’t allow Mahama to spew lies and politicize coronavirus - Dr Gideon Boako

The Economic Advisor to Vice President, Dr Gideon Boako has hit back at former President John Dramani Mahama for intentionally spewing lies to score political points in the midst of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, the Akufo-Addo government will not sit aloof and watch the Presidential candidate for the largest opposition National Democratic Congress take undue advantage of government’s dedication to resolving the spread of the new coronavirus for cheap political gain.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Dr. Gideon Boako insisted that former President Mahama could have contributed his quota to support the government in the fight against the virus devoid of politics.

"If it is not politics that Mahama is doing and he genuinely wants to help the government fight the COVID-19, the government has set up COVID-19 Trust Fund and other institutions to help in the fight against the virus, the former President could have contributed their quota to support the government in that cause.

“The NDC did not contribute as other institutions and individuals did because they have the intention of politicizing the COVID-19, so Mahama could have the opportunity to announce what he is also doing while condemning government . . . that is the reason why the NDC did not contribute to the trust fund . . . ," he said.

The former President last week claimed the economy under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and has been exposed in just one month by the Coronavirus pandemic, which has affected several countries around the world.

But the Economic Advisor to the Vice President Bawumia maintained that former President Mahama is throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians while the focus of the government and well meaning Ghanaians is on the fight against the deadly virus.



Mahama's economy couldn't mitigate an 'internally-generated dumsor'

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has reminded former President John Mahama that the economy he superintended between 2012 and 2016 was so fragile that he couldn’t even mitigate and cushion people from an internally created problem like dumsor.

Speaking to journalists at the Jubilee House on the sideline of a Covid-19 meeting on Monday, Vice President Bawumia wondered how a former President whose administration and economy could not handle dumsor for four years would be making comparisons with a global pandemic like the Coronavirus.

“If you want to test the robustness of an economy, you test it in a time of crises. Thankfully, we have had two crises. Under the NDC, it was an internally-generated crisis, which was dumsor. Under the Presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, there has been an externally generated crisis, which has been the global Coronavirus pandemic.”

“I just want you to ask yourself, how have these two crises been managed? The dumsor crisis which crippled this economy for four years. What were the mitigating measures offered to businesses and individuals during the dumsor, an internally generated crisis?” the Vice President asked.

“We saw that even during dumsor, electricity prices were being increased, fuel prices were being increased, teacher trainee allowances were being cancelled, nursing trainee training allowances were being cancelled. All of that was happening during that particular crisis.”

“You look at the Coronavirus crisis and you look at the difference in terms of what has happened. The President has reduced electricity prices and has made it free for lifeline consumers. He has given free water to all Ghanaians for three months, has made sure that there is a stimulus package of 600 million Ghana Cedis for businesses and we have seen domestic production of PPEs (personal protective equipment) for our health workers locally.”