There was near stampede at the Madina Zongo Central Mosque where the Vice –presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) observed his Friday prayers. The unannounced visit got men, women and children jostling to catch a glimpse of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. After the prayers had been said, the Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Abdallah announced to the congregants that the NPP running mate had joined them for prayers and prayed their indulgence for a few words from their guest. His appeals for people to remain in their seats fell on deaf ears as everybody surged forward. Addressing the congregation, Dr Bawumia said he had reversed an initial decision not to get involved with politics because of a realisation that he could not significantly bring about the needed change in conditions of fellow humans if he simply stayed on the sidelines and didn’t get involved in the decision making process. He said having been born in conditions and under circumstances not very different from those of many Zongo dwellers, he understood and appreciated better, the problems confronting the Zongo communities in Ghana. Dr Bawumia said this knowledge informed the decision of the NPP to draw up a Zongo Development scheme to apply targeted measures aimed at addressing some of their problems. Touching on the NPP’s signature policy for the 2012 elections campaign – free senior high school education – the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana said the current situation where education was becoming the preserve of a privileged few was dangerous because it could deepen social exclusion and its attendant repercussions for peace and unity.