NPP promised dams, not dugouts – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has observed that there are no signs of the government’s one village, one dam on the ground after almost two years in office. In some cases, Mr Mahama noted that the government is rather providing dugouts for the people, instead of the dams.

Addressing delegates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Wechiau in the Wa West constituency as part of his three-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region, Mr Mahama pointed out that dugouts had always existed in the savanna area, with the NDC government digging many for the people.

He said during his tour of Mamprusi West as part of his Northern regional campaign tour, he saw the first experimental work of the one village and one dam, and that work cannot be described as a dam. “Before the election, I asked them, are you talking of dugouts or irrigation dams but they refused to answer. Apparently, they were thinking of dugouts”, he said.

Mr Mahama said under the Ghana Social Opportunities Project, the NDC government did many of the dugouts and rehabilitated older ones to support rural farmers undertake dry season farming to improve food security in the region. “So, it is nothing new, and the one village, one dam, really, there was nothing in it. It is one village, one dug out and even the dugouts where is it? The dugouts are not even there”.

The former President said in the past the dugouts were being used as a source of drinking water by many people in the savanna area. But with the outbreak of guinea worm, the NDC government constructed more boreholes to replace them in the fight against the outbreak of guinea worm. Mr Mahama also raised questions about the whereabouts of the one million dollars per constituency that the NPP promised to give all the 275 constituencies every year. He also asked of the status of the one district, one factory.

“But, that is the problem with the NPP, they believe that promise anything just to win political power. But the point is, if you over promise and you win political power and you can’t deliver, then you create disappointment in the people for our democracy”, he stressed. During his administration, Mr Mahama said, many schools, hospitals, electricity, water and roads among many other projects were started, with some completed and others uncompleted before the NDC left government.

He noted that the uncompleted ones have since remained at a standstill, as the NPP government has abandoned all of them. Mr Mahama is therefore urging members of the NDC to work hard to ensure victory for the party in the 2020 general elections to enable the party continue its social infrastructure expansion policy as well as work towards a reduction in the high cost of living.