Mahama: No Amount Of Mischief Will Distract Me

President John Dramani Mahama had stated that no amount of mischief and attacks from the opposition will distract him and the NDC government from cutting the progressive path that would convince the people of Ghana to retain the party in power in the 2016 elections. Addressing the national delegates congress of the NDC in Kumasi last Saturday, the President, who is the leader of the NDC, said the opposition were bent on using all foul means to discredit him and his government but emphasised that the tactics would not work. He expressed optimism that the NDC would win in 2016. He mentioned a video that had spread on social media showing him and the Asantehene dancing at the Otumfuo private residence after the inauguration of the upgraded Kumasi Airport and said the negative intentions behind the video will not fly. "I wish to say irrespective of how many videos are shown of me and Otumfuo dancing, the fact is that the Kumasi Airport has witnessed considerable facelift far above what it was before we came to meet it," he said. He posed the question, "Will the improvement benefit only the members of the NDC and the Otumfuo?� And he was quick to provide the answer, " No." The improvement of the airport will benefit all Ghanaians, especially the people of the Ashanti Region, he explained. Other areas of devt President Mahama touched on other areas of national life where significant progress had been made under his government. He said it was only people with selective myopia who would close their eyes to what had been done in the relatively short period the government had been in power. "As a social democratic party, we are determined to work to improve the lives of our people and we are making remarkable progress in many sectors of national life and don't let anyone tell you different. The achievements are there for all to see," he said to deafening cheers from the teeming party supporters that converged on the 42,000 capacity stadium, which was about a third full. The health, education, road and electricity sectors were some of the areas the President mentioned to have seen a great amount of progress. Health In the health sector, he said work on the expansion of the police hospital, the construction of the Upper West Regional Hospital in Wa, the 420-bed Ridge Hospital project, the 600- bed University of Ghana Hospital in Accra, and the 500-bed military hospital in Kumasi as well as the second phase of the Tamale Teaching Hospital project were progressing steadily. Five polyclinics had also been completed in the Brong Ahafo Region and another 15 were about to start in the Central and Greater Accra regions. Education Mr Mahama said the 200 community day senior high schools (SHS) he promised were on course and that work on the first 50 was ongoing while another 23 were due to begin. In 2015, work on another batch of 50 schools would start, bringing the total to 123 brand new community SHS. Touching on the free SHS education, he said what he was bringing on board was a progressively free SHS re-education beginning with day students.