Three years into President Mahama's administration




NEWS COMMENTARY ON PRESIDENT MAHAMA`S THREE YEAR ADMINISTRATION 


John Dramani Mahama ascended to the Office of President  of Ghana after the untimely demise of the late President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills on the 24th of July 2012. But he assumed office as the duly elected President to serve his first term exactly three years today. 

But after three years at the helm of affairs of this country, what can we say of the performance of the president.  


Remarkably, the President himself has admitted that his first three years in office have not been rosy but rather fraught with challenges. 

One can say without any equivocation that, John Dramani Mahama has been the unluckiest of President Ghana has ever seen. 

This is a man who was denied the 100 day honeymoon privilege as shortly, after his swearing in, he has had to contend with an election petition that created uncertainty and dragged on for eight long months. 

That singular situation brought a lot of distortions onto almost every sphere of our national life. 

As if that was not enough, we witnessed mysterious market fires that affected almost all regions of the country. 

And there came nationwide strikes and agitations from all manner of public sector workers. 

To crown it all, was the challenge with the economy, and the most serious of all, being the power shortage, which we are still not sure whether it is over or not. 

Indeed, the power situation has already cost the sector minister his position as he had to resign in honor of his own pledge to do so if he failed to end the load shedding by the 31st of last month.  

In these three years, the president has been confronted with situations that demanded that he took difficult decisions that have not been pleasant with the citizens. 

As we speak, we are still grappling with the issue of more than 50 percent increase in water and electricity tariffs as well as 27 percent increase in fuel prices despite the declining prices of crude on the international market. 

In all these, the question we ought to ask ourselves is whether or not, we would be better off as a nation and as a people, if such drastic decisions have not been taken. 

We have a situation where we expect the government to transform the country into paradise within a fortnight but failed to recognise that that can only happen if resources are made available to the state. 

We can commend the government for the massive infrastructural development projects that are springing up in every nook and cranny of this nation. The community day senior high schools are a sight to behold. 

The expansion works on existing airports and the construction of new ones, interventions in the health and educational sectors, the road and transport as well as the water and housing sectors are just but a few examples. Of course, we have issues regarding corruption, but much is being done to totally eradicate the canker and make it an expensive and unattractive enterprise to undertake. 

This is in no way, to suggest that all is well. We still have a lot of hurdles to cross.

Yes of course, perfection is an impossible goal, and the president has his short comings.  

Members of his party gave him an overwhelming vote of confidence when in the recent NDC primaries, they gave him a massive 95 point one zero percent endorsement to once again lead the party in the upcoming general elections in November. 

In his own estimation, the overwhelming endorsement filled him with “strength and encouragement” to lead the elections.  

We can agree with members of the NDC that despite the challenges that characterised his three year administration, there is no doubt that the President and his administration have done their best to warrant a second term. 

This is more so because, one cannot be sure of a better alternative. 

For as the saying goes, the angel you know, is better than the angel you do not know. 

Happy three year Anniversary Mr. President, Ghana, ma wo Ayeeko.


By Ebenezer Eshung of Accra

GBC