Ask politicians to use their own children as vigilantes - Veep Bawumia to Zongo youth

The vice-president, Mahamudu Bawumia, has advised poor Muslim youth to reject the employment of politicians who want them as bodies for violent political purposes.

Bawumia was speaking at the 51st-anniversary celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by Sheikh Abdul Wadud in Kumasi on Sunday, 10 March 2019.

The vice-president told the gathering which included youth from Zongo communities: “They come to you and tell you to go and perpetuate violence and other acts while their own children are in school, doing good jobs or abroad working to better their lives. When these politicians come to you, ask them why they are not using their own children to do what they’re asking you to do.”

He said instead of allowing themselves to be used as political vigilantes, they should aim at being ‘job-lantes’, ‘edu-lantes’ and ‘busi-lantes’.

He continued: “Allah has blessed the Zongo youth with multiple positive attributes and talents such as strength, courage, knowledge, sports skills, entrepreneurship, vocational skills, etc.

“The youth of our country, particularly my brothers from the Zongo communities, should not, under any circumstance, avail themselves of use for any illegal activity, which also poses great risks to their valuable and cherished lives”.

Meanwhile, Ghanaian businessman, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim, has recounted how former president Jerry John Rawlings demolished his multimillion-dollar hotel in the late 1990s.

In a newly released autobiography, he narrated how his plush hotel was demolished in 1999 under Rawlings administration.

The said hotel was at the Airport Residential Area, near the Kotota International Airport in Accra.