My generation has failed the younger generation big time – Sophia Akuffo explains

Retired Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has opined that her generation has failed the current generation big time.

She said in a wide-ranging interview with Accra-based Joy News that they had inherited a lot of hope as children post-independence but years on, they have failed to transfer that hope to the current generation.

Asked the question: “Has your generation failed the younger generation?” she said: “Oh big time, we have. Look at where we are, what can I say? I think we have, especially the post-independence people.

“We grew up with so much hope in our hearts but that hope we couldn’t sustain it in the hearts of the next people,” she stressed.

As to whether Ghana can mount a turnaround of its current leadership and development trajectory, she said it was an imperative.

“Ghana is forever. We will have to turn it around, it is not a matter of can we? We must. Don’t ask me how,” she added.

Asked whether she was disappointed in the current government, the former CJ said her disappointment spanned all governments under the Fourth Republican Constitution.

“I have been disappointed with every single government we have had under this (1992) constitution, because after all that we went through with the military and everything and we centered the constitution as guiding principle, at least constitutionalism should have been what should have been guiding us.

“But we have eroded so many standards, principles. It is not only the NPP government, a far as I am concerned, every government has failed us,” she emphasized.

Sophia Akuffo has become topical in the last two weeks after she joined colleague pensioner bondholders who had been picketing at the Ministry of Finance since February 6 demanding total exclusion from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP.)

Mrs. Akuffo's involvement also saw her slam government's handling of the programme and the general economic situation of the country.

She received heavy backlash via social media from New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.

In her second appearance at the picket this week, she responded to Gabby's critique among others by referring to him as a nuisance who did not matter to her and her life.

Meanwhile, government has closed the subscription window for the DDEP announcing an 85% subscription rate.

Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta told picketing pensioners on February 15 that their maturing coupons will be honoured even though they had opted against signing up, as in self-exempted from the programme.

Ofori-Atta is due to appear before Parliament to answer questions over the programme on February 16, 2023.

SARA