‘Man Up And Debate Me, Mahama’ – Bawumia Fires Back With 50 Questions

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia

The flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has responded sharply to former President John Mahama’s latest questions about his record as Vice President.

The Vice President called on Mr Mahama to engage in a direct debate instead of using “flimsy questions.”

This call came in response to Mahama’s five-question challenge to Dr Bawumia, reminiscent of the 170 questions he posed to then-Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

In his rebuttal, Dr Bawumia issued a pointed invitation to Mr Mahama, declaring, “I would have thought he would be man enough to face me in a one-on-one debate for the Ghanaian public to assess our respective policies, achievements, and visions. He should not hide behind these flimsy questions to avoid a debate.”

Dr Bawumia added that Mahama’s questions were no match for the more “substantive” issues he was prepared to address, offering his own list of 50 questions about Mr Mahama’s track record on the economy, infrastructure, and social intervention policies.

“Come for a debate, and I can ask the moderators to ask me these five flimsy questions,” he quipped, challenging Mahama on policies ranging from educational reforms to infrastructure growth under the NDC.

Bawumia’s 50-Question Challenge

In his detailed response, Dr Bawumia drilled into Mahama’s governance record with questions about what he perceived as shortcomings.

Among the list, Dr Bawumia demanded clarity on issues like Mr Mahama’s position on free education, citing past advertisements that he said opposed the free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

“Why did you run advertisements against free SHS?” he asked, highlighting the contrasting education policies of the NPP and NDC.

He also questioned Mr Mahama on the challenges of Dumsor under his administration, saying, “If you think your economic management was so good, how come we experienced more than four years of Dumsor under your government?”

In addition to the economy, Dr Bawumia’s questions targeted specific policy reversals such as the cancellation of teacher and nursing training allowances, which the NPP has since restored.

The Vice President further questioned Mr Mahama’s government’s management of social services and infrastructure, challenging Mahama to name “any broad-based social intervention policy” that was implemented under his tenure.

He also highlighted issues with the banking sector, stating, “Why did the banking system almost collapse under your government?”

Below are the 50 questions:

1. Can you name any broad-based social intervention policy that you implemented in Ghana as President?

2. Why did you run advertisements against free SHS?  

3. If you think your economic management was so good how 

    come we experienced more than four years of Dumsor under 

    your government?

4. Why did the banking system almost collapse under your government?

5. Why did you cancel teacher training allowances?

6. Why did you cancel nursing training allowances

7. Why did the  National Ambulance Service virtually collapse under your government?

8. Why was your government unable to create even a quarter of the jobs that our government has created?

9. How many nurses, teachers, police officers, immigration officers and service personnel did you recruit as President? 

10. Why did you implement the three-month pay policy for teachers under the government?

11. Why did you cancel the car import duty waiver for teachers and nurses?

12. Why was average agricultural growth under your government (2.9%) less than half what it is under our government 

13. Why was industry growth under your government lower than what it is under our government?

14. Why was overall GDP growth under your government lower than under our government?

15. Why did your government have no industrial policy for Ghana?

16. Why do you think our government has constructed four times more roads than your government did?

17. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more hospitals than your government did?

18. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more schools than your government did?

19. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more fish landing sites than your government did?

20. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more courts than your government did?

21. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more public libraries than your government did?

22. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more sports facilities than your government did?

23. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more airports than your government did?

24. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing and equipping more TVET institutions than your government did?

25. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more interchanges than your government did?

26. Why do you think our government has overseen the provision of more NCA-licensed fibre optic cable than your government did? 

27. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more sanitation facilities than our government did?

28. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more waste recycling plants than your government did?

29. Why do you think our government has provided 70% more scholarships to students than your government? 

30. Why do you think our government has constructed and is constructing more infrastructure in the Zongo communities than your government did?

31. Why do you think our government has provided more vehicles 

       and equipment to the security services than your 

       government did?

32. Why do you think our government has constructed and is 

       constructing more hospitals than your government did?

33. How come your government was unable to issue any 

      significant amount of the National Identity Card (Ghanacard)?

34. Why was your government unable to deal with the problem of 

       Ghost workers on government payroll?

35. During your period as president only 4% of Ghanaian adults 

       had Tax Identification Numbers. Our government has 

       increased it to 85%. Why were you unable to do similar?

36. Why was your government unable to digitalize the operations 

       at the port to reduce corruption?

37. Why was your government unable to solve the problem of the 

      lack of a functioning Ghana-wide property address system?

38. Why was your government not able to solve the problem of 

       access to financial inclusion like we have?

39. What help did your government provide children suffering 

       from cancer, sickle cell patients and people needing kidney 

       dialysis?

40. Why did you fulfill only 28% of your promises in your 2012 

       Manifesto?  

41. What measures did your government implement to address 

       the problem that people have in paying rent advance? 

42. What did you do to help people who had difficulty in enrolling 

       for or renewing their National health insurance 

       memberships?

43. What did your government do specifically to promote the 

       creative arts and tourism? 

44. How did your government address the problem of getting 

      emergency drug, blood and vaccine delivery to remote parts 

      of Ghana in times of emergency?

45. How did your government address the problem of tertiary 

      students who could not access student loans because they 

      could not find guarantors?

46. As Vice-President, I have initiated or championed policies 

       such as  One Constituency One Ambulance, Agenda 111, 

       Medical Drones, Zongo Development Fund, E-Pharmacy, 

       Ghanacard, Digital Property Address System, Mobile Money 

       Interoperability, Paperless Ports, No Guarantor Student 

       Loans, Ghana.Gov, Citizens App, Go-Ride, Gold for Oil, Bank 

       of Ghana Gold Purchase Program, District Road Improvement 

       Program (DRIP) etc. ? Can you tell Ghanaians what policies 

       you championed or initiated as Vice-President?

47. Why were you unable to implement Free Technical and Vocational Education as we have done? 

48. Why was your government unable to absorb examination registration fees for BECE and WACSSE students

49. Can you provide one coherent explanation of your 24-hour economy proposal?

50. What specific measures did you implement to combat corruption during your tenure as president? 

Credit: Abubakar Ibrahim