It’s unfortunate Akufo-Addo didn’t find space to address the issue of the kidnapped girls – MP

Member of Parliament for Krachi West, Helen Ntoso has expressed worry over President Akufo-Addo’s failure to address issues regarding the kidnap of some young women in Takoradi in the Western Region.

Speaking on the floor of parliament she said “it is rather unfortunate that the president didn’t find space in in 30-page address in talking about girls who were kidnapped. Mr Speaker I’m a mother and there’s no one here that when his or her child is kidnapped will be able to have a sound sleep”.

Helen Ntoso added, that as a father, she expected the president to talk about the girls who are yet to be found after being kidnapped some months ago.

The three were reported missing between August and December 2018 in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis and Effia Kwesimintsim Municipality of the Western Region.

The police have since arrested and placed in custody, Samuel Udoetuk-Wills, a Nigerian suspected to have been involved in the kidnapping of the girls. He previously escaped from police custody under bizarre circumstances but was recaptured sleeping in an abandoned building.

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa added that he was also surprised the president didn’t make a statement on the murder of journalist, Ahmed Hussein-Suale whose death made headlines internationally.

He said “there this matter of the assignation of a journalist Ahmed Ahmed Hussein Suale, am I surprised that this important matter which engaged the entire international community did not find expression in the president SONA”.

“We saw the united nation issue a statement, UNESCO, FIFA issued a statement to condemn it including the international federation of Journalist and a US Congressman and many more and yet the president of our republic who we all commend for leading the processes when he was Attorney General to repeal the criminal libel law, how is it that all of a sudden an assassination of a journalist, our president did not say a word about it,” he added.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa noted that it was equally necessary for the president to state how much he has raised so far in regard to the construction of the National Cathedral.

“… As we speak we do not know how much has been raised; we do not know much has been raised in Ghana and we do not know how much has been raised in Washington DC. It would have been great for the president to give us an indication of how much has been raised. We still have concerns about prioritization, we still have concerns about how we are relocating. The substantive issue has to do with lack of transparency in the fund raising efforts” he said