Mr Mahama has eulogised Chairman Mobila as a man of courage and selflessness who was dedicated to the NDC and to Ghana as a whole.

Taking to his Facebook page, he prayed for the soul of the departed to rest in peace.

“Allah grant him deserved rest,” he mourned.

Chairman Mobila passed on on Tuesday afternoon at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

He was said to be undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness.

Below is Mr Mahama’s post:

Mr Mahama believes the national platform will bring together some of the country’s best brains together to find solutions to the economic challenges.

His comments are in relation to the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) recent downgrade of Ghana’s foreign and local credit ratings from B-B’ to CCC+C with a negative economic outlook.

S&P indicated the downgrade was due to intensifying financing and external pressures on the economy.

In a Facebook post, Mr Mahama said: “There appears to be no end to the problems with the Ghanaian economy, with the recent downgrade to CCC+/C junk status.”

To him, the Mid-Year budget review many thought will bring back investor confidence in the country’s economy did not.

The situation, he believes, is, therefore, a worrying situation and needs an immediate remedy.

Mr Mahama in 2021, while speaking at a lecture dubbed: ‘State of the Economy: the Score Card’, made a similar call.

During the event held at the Cedi Conference Centre of the University of Ghana in Accra, he called on the government to constitute a national forum on the economy to find lasting solutions to the country’s economic challenges.

He explained such consensus was demonstrated when his administration convened the Senchi Economic Forum, leading to the formulation of the Senchi Consensus.

Dr Gideon Boako, an aide to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, however, shot down the calls, stating it will be a waste of time.

In his view, no effective policy decisions can be taken on such platforms, adding participants will only drag issues with no conclusion arrived at.

He said former President Mills had called him that he was going to announce his resignation because former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings who brought him to political limelight was disturbing him.

According to Prof. Ahwoi, the late Professor Mills had complained to him that he was receiving “constant attacks” on his personality from Mr. Rawlings, founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who made him his vice between early 1997 and early 2001.

The ex-minister said the straw that broke the camel’s back was a comment Mr. Rawlings made in Tamale which made Prof. Mills call him (Ahowi) and said in Fante, “I have resigned.”

Speaking on Citi TV after the launch of his book entitled: “Working with Rawlings”, the former minister recounted that “there was one particular incident which caused President Mills nearly to resign. In fact, he resigned as President. The only thing that saved this country was that he called to tell me he was resigning.”

“I was at IEA conference at Aburi when he (Mills) called and said ‘Kwamena, have you heard about what Jerry (Mr. Rawlings) had gone to say about me in Tamale’ and I said no. Then he added ‘get the audio and listen to it because I have resigned and I don’t want anybody to stop me’,” he disclosed.

“And I said to him, Mr. President, I believed that you have decided to resign, but I also believe that you are not sure whether you have taken the right decision. You want a second opinion otherwise you would not have called to tell me. I would have heard about it in the media,” he narrated.

Prof. Ahwoi said he requested the late President to give him time to consult his “gang (that is how I put it). And so I called Captain Tsikata and he said I should arrange to go and see him, and should bring in Totobi Kwakye.”

“By Sunday evening, we went to his residence. He (Mills) had actually packed his things in suitcases – everything – ready to leave.

“So we talked about four hours which ran into 12 midnight and we managed to convince him to stay because we were taking certain corrective measures,” he revealed.

“We were successful in those measures and as a result he stayed. Otherwise, he was going to resign on an account of the way Jerry Rawlings was treating him,” he added.

Atta Mortuary Man Jab

Prof. Ahwoi said it all started when Mr. Rawlings in 2006 approached him and his brothers to find a replacement for Prof. Mills, “who was supposed not to be well” as the NDC candidate.

“He approached my senior brother, Ato Ahwoi, to contest Prof. Mills in the NDC primaries, and we took offence because Jerry knew the role I and Ato had played in getting Prof. Mills out of the comfort of academia to come and join the turbulence of Ghanaian politics (sic),” he said.

“He knew that there was a very close chemistry between us, especially Ato and Prof. Mills, and therefore as I have recounted in my book, I thought that he was asking us to betray Prof. Mills,” he added.

The former Local Government Minister said when Ato Ahwoi refused to accede to Mr. Rawlings’s proposal, he fell on Eddy Annan, who was also another close confidant of Mills, asserting that the late President was virtually living in Eddy Annan’s house while he was the Vice-President.

He stated that when Rawlings failed to achieve his mission, things started deteriorating, saying “it was from that time that we got upset and the drifting apart started. And it got worse when Mills became President and Jerry began his attacks on him.”

‘Attacks?’ the host, Samuel Atta Mensah asked and Prof. Ahwoi answered ‘yes’, and Prof. also asked rhetorically, “Did you not hear about Atta Mortuary Man story and the Konongo Kaya? Do you know what Konongo Kaya means?”

“Atta Mortuary Man used to dress people nicely when their bodies were brought to Tetteh Quashie and for him nobody was very sure what was going to happen to him when he died,” he explained.

On Konongo Kaya, Prof. Ahwoi said was the man who could not perform his task and would not leave it for another person who can do it better, adding these are all kinds of innuendoes made by ex-President Rawlings in apparent attacks on Prof. Atta Mills.

The visit to Bishop Naameh, who is also the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, was over the weekend.

Present with Mr Mahama was the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah.

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has opened up on his relationship with Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia which he says goes way back.

“Let me single out one person, he is also a father but I can claim that he happens to be my son too and that’s the Vice President sitting right by me,” he said.

According to him, the Vice President is like a true son who has remained loyal to him over the years.

“Sheer coincidence but you may not know that I started being a father in 1963 and that happen to be the year the Vice President was born. My son whose birthday falls in September that year could not make it to this event but on October 7 this guy here popped out and then we’ve related so beautifully.

“It’s not just for this occasion but once I noticed him, he became like a son. He is a true son, very loyal,” he eulogised.

The former President made this pronouncement as Dr Bawumia and his wife, Samira among others joined him at his Peduase lodge residence on Sunday for a Fathers’ Day event.

He touted Dr Bawumia’s presence at the event as touching as they weren’t even sure he was going to make it since he was in the North at the time of the invite.

“In your narration, you said when the planners decided to invite the Vice President, you learnt he had gone to the North for some duties and you even doubted whether he will manage to come.

“But you phoned him and with his signature giggling he said if it’s J.A. Kufuor I’m coming. That’s so touching, very touching but probably that is how a son should behave towards a father,” he added.

In his closing remarks, President Kufuor offered a prayer for the veep, declaring “I pray for the Vice President, May God bless him.”

Listen to Kufuor in the audio above:

The astute statesman said this when the newly appointed CEO of the Authority, Dr Okoe Boye paid a courtesy call on him at his residence.

“The NHIA has a visionary leader who can transform the fortunes of the scheme and retain the public trust,” he said.

The visit was to introduce the new CEO to the statesman whose vision birthed the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and also to seek counsel on how to progress the scheme. Through his vision, thousands are gainfully employed at the NHIA.

The former President was grateful for the visit and advised the CEO who is also a former Member of Parliament, representing the Ledzokuku Constituency, to continue to demonstrate his excellent leadership skills, one which he was widely known for in his public service life.

He believes that the NHIA will see a tremendous trajectory in innovative improvement under the leadership of Dr Okoe Boye.

Dr Okoe Boye on his part was extremely grateful for the warm reception and good counsel and the confidence the former President reposed in him and assured him of his commitment to rebrand NHIS as a model public service institution in the country.

He outlined a few of his aspirations which are to make the NHIA the most visible and reliable public organization. He reiterated that with the vibrant and highly qualified staff that he has, he will evaluate the current structure of the Authority to make the NHIS efficient and more dependable to the public.

The Board Chair of the NHIA, Dr. Ernest K. P. Kwarko, who led the delegation, also used the occasion to formally introduce other members of the Board to the former president and reiterated the Board’s commitment to assist the new CEO to succeed by providing the right governing environment. He further stated that the overall goal is to enhance the effective functioning of the NHIA, and help address the health needs of the average Ghanaian as health costs continue to soar on daily basis.

Dr. Okoe Boye was accompanied by members of the NHIA Board, his three Deputy CEO’s, some Directors, and Deputy Directors of the Authority.

In a Facebook post, he indicated the message is false, hence should be disregarded.

Mr. Mahama said it is an attempt by unscrupulous persons to defraud unsuspecting victims with his name and images.

“Please ignore any such message, and do not fall victim to fraudsters,” he cautioned as he shared some application portals of the said grant application.

Below is Mr Mahama’s post:

The visit was to formally congratulate the man of God who recently celebrated his 60th birthday before his consecration as Archbishop of the Perez Chapel, formerly World Miracle Church International.

Also present at the service was NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, a former National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) boss; Sylvester Mensah, Director of Elections; Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Ningo Prampram MP; Sam George who is also a member of Perez Chapel, among others.

Mr Mahama in his address to the church eulogised Archbishop Agyinasre for his exemplary contribution to national development.

“Belated birthday wishes especially as I was unable to join you to commemorate the important milestone of 60 years. Let me state that I have known the Archbishop for many decades… for a very long time, since his days as a young pastor.

“We are both old now. I have as a politician and former President remained close to the Archbishop and I have on many occasions sought him out for his wise counsel,” Mahama eulogised.

The former President added: “I have no doubt that considering the Archbishop’s life as a pastor, his exemplary contribution to the growth of the church and to our national development, he has stood firm in his service to the Lord.

“He has throughout the years remained steadfast and focused and I have no doubt that his rise to the level of an Archbishop has been ordained by the good Lord. Congratulations my brother. The Lord has been faithful and will continue to be with you all the days of your life.”

He went on to thank Archbishop Agyinasare and the congregation for what he said was their support for him and his family.

“Lordina, the children and myself extend our warm felicitations to you, your family and the church. As our moral voices, we expect, you to continue to speak truth to power as you have done over the years,” he stated.

He said the 2020 flagbearer of the NDC’s ability to admit and learn from his past mistakes gives him a better chance to contest the presidential race in the next general election.

Despite his earlier criticisms against the Mahama-led administration for what he described as the failure of the country’s accountability test, Dr Aidoo believes the former President is a preferred choice for the NDC.

“You learn from your mistakes and I believe that he [John Mahama] is a good learner. He has admitted that he made some mistakes. He admitted during the campaign for the 2020 elections.

“I am sure he can be trusted to keep faith with himself and with the people of this country,” he said in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Thursday.

Therefore, the former Defence Minister urged the NDC to return to its ideological identification as it seeks to take over power in the next elections.

“I’ve never been very functional in recent times in the party’s organisation but my one advice which I would use this opportunity to voice is that the party must go back to its ideological identification.

“If it is socialist, it must embrace socialist principles. You cannot create a so-called middle-class developmentalists through a petty bourgeoisie that is self-seeking, selfish and materialistic,” he added.

Following his loss in the 2020 presidential elections, Mr Mahama is yet to state his desire to run for a political office in the future.

However, during his ‘Thank You’ tours of the country last year, he said the party will be more vigilant at the polls to secure victory.

“The 2020 elections were rigged for the NPP. We have, however, accepted the ruling of the Supreme Court for the sake of peace.

“However, come 2024, the NDC will be extra vigilant at the polling stations because that is where the elections are won.

“So at the polling station [in the next election], it will be ‘do or die’. I am not saying all ‘die be die’. I’m saying it will be ‘do or die’ because the right thing must be done,” Mr Mahama said.

Meanwhile, the National Executives of NDC has pledged to deploy professional polling agents to oversee the 2024 elections on all levels.

Mr Obasanjo, who made the declaration while speaking at the 2021/2022 School Debate Price Presentation Organised by the Vision Africa Radio Umuahia, Abia State, regretted that Nigeria is merely a country yet to attain nationhood.

He declared that Nigeria would not make any headway as a country until she grew into nationhood.

His words: “One of the things we need to achieve is nation-building. We have not built a nation yet.

“We have a country but we need to build it into a nation”.

Mr Obasanjo insisted that Nigeria would not progress “until there is equality, justice and equal stake for everybody”.

“We can’t make it unless we have equity and equality, and everybody has a stake in the project called Nigeria.

“Any family, state or country without equity and equality won’t have stability and can never have success,” he said.

The former President commended the successful students and schools in the debate competition.

He charged students to give serious attention to the development of their communication skills, submitting that people who lack the skill to communicate their ideas hardly go far in life.

”You won’t go far in life if you can’t communicate very well. If you are a poor communicator, you will be a poor achiever”.

In his address, the President of Vision Africa Radio, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, said that the essence of the school debate was “to broaden and sharpen the spoken English language proficiency of our secondary school students and to empower the schools with awards and as well educate and enlighten our teeming audience.”

He added that “Beyond its entertainment value and the use of cogent argument, poise and timeliness as a measure of grading the competitors, it is our hope that the students who participated have acquired or honed their public speaking skills, improved their note-taking skills, increased their self-confidence, enhanced their teamwork/collaboration skills, and have developed better ways to graciously state their point of view with gentleness, even when standing up for the truth.”

Mr Mahama has eulogised the deceased as an eminent leader of the Christian faith and a humanist whose calling in the service of humanity transcended religion.

News of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who helped end apartheid in South Africa’s, death broke out on Sunday, December 26, 2021.

He was 90 years old.

Despite people around the world being heartbroken and taking to social media to mourn him, Mr Mahama believes God calling him to rest during this sacred period of Christmas could only have been divinely scripted.

He acknowledged the Christian leader lived a full life, dedicated to God and humanity.

Mr Mahama emphasised he would forever be remembered for his fight against injustice, especially during the era of apartheid.

ALSO READ:

• Archbishop Desmond Tutu passes on aged 90

• Mahama mourns as NDC guru passes on

In a social media post, he entreated all to keep Archbishop Tutu’s memory alive by emulating his works and speaking against injustice when the need arises.

Check out the post below:

God calling Desmond Tutu during this sacred period of Christmas could only have been divinely scripted… https://t.co/ngjS4JG02Q pic.twitter.com/RvMmELMKUF

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) December 26, 2021

This came after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of contempt after defying the court’s order to appear at an inquiry into corruption while he was president.

Mr Zuma’s time in power, which ended in 2018, was dogged by graft allegations.

Businessmen were accused of conspiring with politicians to influence the decision-making process.

The former president made one appearance at the inquiry into what has become known as “state capture” but then refused to appear subsequently.

The inquiry – headed by Justice Raymond Zondo – asked the Constitutional Court to intervene.

It is not clear if Mr Zuma will now be arrested.

In a separate legal matter, Mr Zuma pleaded not guilty last month, in his corruption trial involving a $5bn (£3bn) arms deal from the 1990s.

ALSO READ:

• It kills me to see black educated youth think like white people – Jacob…

• Arrest warrant issued for former South Africa President Jacob Zuma