Harry Maguire, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Isaac Adongo

England defender Harry Maguire has been mocked by a Ghanaian MP who used a football analogy to describe the nation’s vice president.

Hon. Issac Adongo labelled the country’s Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as an “Economic Maguire”, likening his performance in the role to Maguire’s decline since joining Manchester United.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is a Ghanaian economist and former central banker who serves as the 5th Vice President of Ghana in the 4th Ghanaian Republic.

“…tackling Manchester players and giving assists to opponents. Mr Speaker, when the opponent failed to score, Maguire will score for them,” Mr Adongo said, as laughter erupted in the chamber.

“Mr Speaker, you remember in this country we also have an economic Maguire.”

Mr Isaac Adongo is a Ghanaian politician and member of the 8th Ghanian Parliament representing the Bolgatanga Central Constituency in the Upper East Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress. He was first elected in 2016 and he was re-elected in 2020.

Harry Maguire gets roasted in Ghanaian parliament as Economic Maguire. Credit to JoyNews. #HarryMaguire #Dr #EconomicMaguire #Ghana pic.twitter.com/Sv2M1CWHPQ

— Debrich Group Ghana, Nigeria & Europe (@debrichgroup) December 3, 2022

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has served notice to Members of Parliament and visitors to the House to comply with newly instituted security measures that require anyone seeking entry to the Chamber to be scanned before entry is granted.

Speaker Bagbin instructed that any Member of Parliament or visitor that fails to comply with the new directive should be denied entry to the Chamber effective Thursday, November 17.

The Speaker says all persons who seek to enter the Chamber must go through the newly installed scanners in the House as part of measures to beef up security.

“It is compulsory for all members including me to pass through the machines to be scanned before we enter the Chamber of Parliament”.

“All strangers who intend coming to the public gallery, or to the press gallery, or to the important visitors gallery are all to pass through the scanning machines. Starting from Thursday, anybody who is not willing to pass through those machines will definitely not be allowed to enter this Chamber.”

The beefing up of security at the House was first raised two years ago by the then Speaker, Professor Mike Oquaye who pleaded for additional security attaché to legislators.

An attempt to get the striking public university workers union to rescind their decision could not be achieved at a meeting between the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the unions on Wednesday.

According to the Secretary of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Ransford Gyampo, it was revealed at the meeting that the Finance Ministry has a key role to play in addressing their concerns.

He added that the process may delay following the ongoing probe of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, following a motion of censure against the minister in Parliament.

Speaking to Citi News after the engagement, Prof. Gyampo disclosed that the meeting has been rescheduled to be held in the next ten days.

“We have brought this proposal to the National Labour Commission, and they have also sort of agreed that we should wait and go on with the discussion in the next 10 days.”

The other unions on strike are the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) and Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA).

The strike by the four unions in public universities is in its sixth week.

UTAG’s concerns, for example, are with the adjusted ex-pump rate of GHS10.99 being implemented to affect Vehicle Maintenance and Off-Campus Allowances.

The union has complained that the agreed Conditions of Service of University Workers by the Employer were not being adhered to.