Bawumia school mates confirm he was a methodist boys’ brigade member

Two primary school mates of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia have confirmed that the Vice-President was a member of the Methodist Boys’ Brigade when he was young.

“We live in a society where a mother and some children could be Christians and a father and some children could be Muslims. As a young boy at Sakasaka primary school in Tamale, I was a member of the Methodist Boys’ Brigade and I think I probably still hold the record as the only Muslim member of the Boys’ Brigade,” Bawumia said recently.

His comment sparked public uproar, especially on social media with a section of Ghanaians saying, as a Muslim, Bawumia was only throwing dust into the eyes of the Christian community for possible future votes.

Confirmation
However, in two separate viral videos, Samuel Kwesi Ankamah and Rajah Ismael – Bawumia’s childhood friends – said they were members of the brigade with him at the Sakasaka Primary School in the Northern Region.

“I want to confirm that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was a boys’ brigade member,” Ankamah, who is now a retired public servant said.

“When we were kids he joined us at the Methodist Church in Tamale. He was with the juniors. He is a unifier and does not discriminate among religions,” he said.

The Genesis
For his part, Ismael said he was part of those who convinced Bawumia’s mother to pay for the brigade’s membership fee for her son.

“We were tight friends in primary school. I happened to be a Methodist and I joined the boys’ brigade. One time we were marching through town and he saw us and he was really excited,” Ismael recalled.

“So, he [Bawumia] expressed interest and asked me to talk to his mom. So, I came over and she had no reservations at all. She gave us the money for the uniform and the membership. Bawumia then got enrolled,” he said. – AsaaseRadio