The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has admonished politicians to eschew politics of insults and rather focus on politics of ideas and data to solve the country’s problems.
“When you see a politician trying to talk, demand data to support what they are saying so let us focus on light, let us focus on data, let us eschew insults and propaganda and let us focus on solving problems that face this country on an everyday basis,” he said.
Dr Bawumia was speaking at the 46th Session of the General Council Meeting of the Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC) at GomoaFetteh in the Central Region.
The conference aim to address the church on the achievements under the various intervention areas of the Church’s Vision 2023 agenda of “Possessing the Nations,” as well as all significant developments that took place in a particular reporting year.
According to the Vice President, focusing on politics of ideas and data brings development and transformation into the country.
He announced that taxi services in the country would soon go digital particularly those in Greater Accra.
“We will be able to place all our taxis, at least in Greater Accra to start with, all in an Uber-like platform and you will be able to call for their services just like the Uber and other electronic taxis,” he added.
The Vice-President also noted that the whole public and private sector transport would soon go on a “tap and go” system to be accessed with oyster cards by the end of the year.
“This is the sort of things we as politicians should be focusing on,” DrBawumia said.
He underscored the need for politicians and other leaders to emulate the Church of Pentecost and work assiduously to achieve the kind of success the church kept chalking from year to year.
He expressed delight at the governance system of the church and how it had become a global icon from her small beginning adding that, “the success story of the church provides the nation and other institutions with an example of how commitment and dedication could result in transformational impact.”
DrBawumia commended the Chairman of the church for being state-minded and influencing the public discourse with his example of word and deed.
He therefore use the opportunity to endorse an impending meeting between the Church of Pentecost and politicians in the country scheduled for June 14 to 16, 2023.
The Chairman of the church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye thanked the government for the recognition and its support towards the church.
Addressing the church on the State-of-the-Church, he said the church, through its various Districts, Areas and Ministries in Ghana, spent about GH¢10,686,084.76 on scholarships of its members in 2022.
He stated that through the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS), the social services arm of the church, in consultation with the various Areas of the church, 107 educational institutions had been established in Ghana comprising 103 basic schools, two senior high schools, and two vocational training institutes.
This among others, the chairman said, the church had embarked to support government in its developmental agenda.
At the end of the conference, Apostle Eric Nyamekye was re-elected as the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost while Apostle GyauObuobi, who is the Asamankese Area Head of the church elected General Secretary succeeding Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, who served in the role for 10 years.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR