Mahama urges leaders to prioritise welfare of citizens

Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged leaders to prioritise the well-being of citizens by ensuring that people benefit from the nation’s resources and projects, regardless of who initiated them.

He described as unacceptable a decision by the government not to commit funds to complete the Saglemi Housing Project, which he said could have benefited thousands of Ghanaian families.

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Mr Mahama, who is the leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), in a Facebook post yesterday said: “It is unacceptable for Akufo-Addo to spend over half a billion cedis on a national cathedral project that has ultimately failed due to corruption and is now abandoned, yet refuses to commit funds to complete a housing project that will benefit thousands of Ghanaian families,” he said.

“Knowing the New Patriotic Party government, they did not want to complete the Saglemi Housing Project simply because it was initiated by John Mahama and an NDC administration,” he stated.

 Mr Mahama’s Facebook post seemed to be in response to last Tuesday’s (August 1,2023) sod cutting ceremony performed by President Akufo-Addo for the commencement of 8,000 housing units project at Pokuase in the Greater Accra Region.

The project on a 203-acre land is under the Revised National Affordable Housing Programme.

At the sod cutting ceremony, President Akufo-Addo was reported to have announced that it was the first government housing project that had undergone meticulous feasibility study as prerequisite for funding from the Ministry of Finance.

, Mr Mahama’s Facebook post said: “Leaders must always prioritise the well-being of their citizens and ensure that they benefit from government resources and projects, regardless of who initiated them.”

Mr Mahama stated further that “the misplaced priorities of a government that claims it is unable to raise money to complete the Saglemi Housing Project and yet is willing to spend half a billion cedis on the largest civil excavation in Africa is a humiliating slap in the face of Ghanaians who entrusted Akufo-Addo with their mandate”.

“Just think about the countless number of Ghanaian families who could have had decent living conditions over the past seven years and the individuals who could have had a place to truly call home in Saglemi,” Mr Mahama said.