On Thursday, the 1st of December 2022, NDC MPs turned the serious business of a budget debate into a comedy session when Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, made some jokes at the expense of Vice President Bawumia and an innocent footballer.
Adongo, in full rhetorical mode, likened the Vice President to Manchester United captain and England defender, Harry Maguire.
Adongo claimed that Bawumia is an ‘economic Maguire’, scoring ‘own goals’.
“There’s a player in the United Kingdom in England called Maguire that is playing for Manchester United. Harry Maguire, he is a defender,” stated Adongo. “He was tackling everybody and throwing his body everywhere like he was the best defender in the world.”
“Manchester United went and bought him. He became the biggest threat at the centre of Manchester United’s defence, tackling Manchester players and giving assists to opponents. Mr speaker, when even the opponents failed to score Maguire would score for them.
“You remember in this country we also have an economic Maguire. The same economic Maguire was giving lectures at university on how to restore the value of the city. Mr speaker, when we gave this Maguire the opportunity to be at the centre of our defence, he became the risk of our own goal. Dr Bawumia, our economic Maguire.” Adongo said.
Whilst a funny speech – albeit in poor taste – its contents could not be further from the truth.
Ghana’s Vice President, Dr Bawumia, has distinguished himself in multiple ways, before and after gaining power.
An economic genius – Bawumia has in the past worked as a lecturer in Monetary Economics, and International Finance at the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy in London, England.
He has also served as an economist at the Research Department of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, USA and an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, USA.
At the Bank of Ghana, Bawumia was a visionary, working tirelessly to help establish several significant reforms.
In the mid-2000s, before mobile money (MoMo) was even a thing, he spearheaded the establishment of the Ghana Interbank Payment Systems (GHIPPS) common platform for all banks, savings and loans companies and rural banks, offering interoperability across different financial institutions.
That later became a big part of Ghana’s current mobile money interoperability regime, which has been adjudged the best in Africa.
In power, Bawumia has massively transformed portions of Ghanaian society with his digital agenda and is in the process of completely transforming the economy.
Accomplishments such as the medical drone service, the national electronic pharmacy platform (NEPP), digital property address system, digitised operations at all government agencies and the introduction of the biometric, national identity card known as Ghana card, have moved the country considerably forward towards the 4th industrial revolution
Most crucially, Bawumia has taken domestic revenue generation to an entirely new level with his innovations. Digitalised operations at the Passport Office and DVLA, among others, has significantly increased revenue and cut down on waste and corruption.
The Ghana card and the digital property address system are key to massively widening the tax net and new innovations to the GRA such as a taxpayers app and others are all projected to massively increase domestic revenue generation, providing a lasting solution to an issue that has plagued Ghanaian governments for generations.
Hence, whilst the Ghanaian economy is facing challenges – challenges that are hardly unique – the mitigating factors are plentiful and Bawumia has continued to fight through, constantly proposing new, out-of-the-box ideas such as the recent gold for oil policy.
In light of all these, Bawumia is hardly an economic Maguire – some might even call him an Economic Messi for completely transforming the Ghanaian economy and society towards a digital world.
Funnily enough, whilst Maguire might be having issues at Manchester United, he remains at the centre of England’s defence at the World Cup that has breezed through the group stages.
On the greatest stage of all – the World Cup – Maguire is performing at a high level. Perhaps, not the jab Isaac Adongo might believe it to be!
Source: Godwin Okine/Ghanaianvoice.com
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Enough of the Economic theories propounded by By The Competently IMPOTENT Economic Theorist. His economic prognosis so far are found to be highly impotent to solve Ghanaian problems. Barely two years ago, same crooks and gangstairs full of moribund and Impotent ideas were asking for 4 more to steal more.4 more to worsen economic plight of everyone. 4 more for us to get a hair cut on our bonds, savings and pension funds, 4 more to increase petrol price.4 more to make Ghana currency worse than Sri Lanka currency. The Head of this ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT TEAM also wants to chop president. waaooo. If indeed he wants Ghanaians to take him serious , he has two solid years to redeem his tattered economic records in the 4th Republic. Have u seen any ""Messii "" like player who will record inflation of 40%. Not even under any junta in Mali or Burkina
An article that makes no sense. Are we not feeling the heat from this ***barred word*** economy? When the man was busily running down the former president as incompetent and touting his non-existing too knowing economic credentials , were we not in this country. What has happened to the economy since he assumed the economic reigns in the country. He does not even qualify to be a colts economic messiah much less a Maguire. "Apuuuuu" na economic Messi. Mtchew!!!!
Anti corruption Bawumia will be the next president of the Republic of Ghana. Npp delegates should make the right decision to vote for Bawumia as their candidate and I think he can beat Mahama in 2024. He is still the best love politician in Ghana
This nonentity want to be relevant by just attacking Dr Bawumia,an empty barrel who never makes sense…so weak in reasoning.
Mr Adongo will always run down of the illustrious sons of Northern Ghana for no good reason due to envy and politics. However, Dr Bawumia's name will endure the test of times and will be an important part of the great history of Ghana. If we have 10% of our politicians who think and behave like Dr Bawumia, Ghana will be a paradise of Africa in just one decade.
The NDC, as the largest opposition party in Ghana, as it claims to be, has just been too cynical about the NPP, the ruling party, in terms of being indiscriminately opposed to every policy, whether good or bad. That notwithstanding, I believe the NDC should be mindful that if you eat all your eggs, you lose your chickens as well. In other words, the NDC's opposition politics have become counterproductive and lost credibility. It's very instructive to note that the Vice President is very innovative in his solutions for solving some of our problems by leapfrogging with new technology, digitalization, and, of late, the policy of trading our gold for oil to reduce pressure on our currency, the cedi. Unfortunately, the NDC has not substantively or explicitly spoken to those policies except to ridicule them, and that is indeed very dishonest in light of representing the interests of Ghana.