Veep worships with Muslims in Ashanti, as part of nationwide Ramadan tour

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, last Wednesday joined the Muslim faithful at the Konongo Central Mosque for prayers as part of his nationwide Ramadan tour.

Earlier in the day, he had performed Zuhr prayers at the Ahmadiyya Mosque at Asafo, Kumasi and Asr prayers at the Ejisu Central Mosque.

The Municipal Chief Imam for Konongo in Asante Akyem Central, Alhaji Mahamadou Mustapha, described the Vice-President’s visit and worship at the Konongo Central Mosque as “very historic”.

The Secretary of the Council of Zongo Chiefs in the Asante Akyem Central municipality, Mr Ade Adeoye, who spoke on behalf of the municipal chief imam, said such a high-profile visit to Asante Akyem Zongo had not happened in over 100 years.

“Since the inception of this Zongo over 100 years ago, from the Gold Coast days through Kwame Nkrumah’s time to date, we have never been visited by either a President or Vice-President.

Some of us are third and fourth generation dwellers of the Asante Akyem Zongo and we have never seen this before.

This is very very historic,” a statement from the Office of the Vice-President quoted the municipal chief imam as saying.

Describing the Asante Akyem Central Zongo as the second largest in the Ashanti Region, Alhaji Mustapha expressed delight that its first high-profile visitor was not an ordinary person but a Muslim brother.

Brother in faith

“What is even more remarkable about this visit is that the visitor is not just any person but our brother in the faith who has come to visit us.

We know that you have a busy schedule, but you still found time to come and visit us.

We are so delighted and grateful for your visit,” Alhaji Mustapha stated.

Alhaji Mustapha also praised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s initiatives to improve lives in Zongos across the country, noting that it was the first time programmes and policies such as the Zongo Development Fund had been specifically targeted at Zongo communities.

The Konongo Zongo Chief Imam commended Vice-President Bawumia for his constant push for Zongo youth to acquire knowledge, saying it was in line with the Prophet Muhammad’s admonition to all Muslims to seek knowledge wherever it might be.

Vice-President

For his part, Dr Bawumia urged Muslims to continue praying for the nation, especially in this Holy Month of Ramadan.

“I also urge you to continue living in peace with your brothers and sisters of other faiths, as we all work together to achieve the growth and prosperity we seek for Ghana,” he added.

Dr Bawumia was accompanied by the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Ms Elizabeth Agyemang; the National Nasara Coordinator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Aziz Haruna Futa; the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante-Akyem Central, Mr Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; the MP for Offinso South, Mr Ben Abdallah Banda; the Registrar of the Pharmacy Council, Dr Audu Rauf; the Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Digital Centre, Mr Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, and some officials of the Zongo Development Fund.

Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (middle) with some Muslim faithful at the Konongo Central Mosque