Nana Addo only spoke fluent English - Asiedu-Nketiah

General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Aseidu Nketia has described Nana Akufo Addo’s Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Presidential Debate Encounter as a total fiasco, saying there was no substance in his presentation.

According to the NDC Chief Scribe, Nana Akufo Addo was only eloquent and as a result will give him an overall score of 40%.

The NPP flagbearer, on Tuesday, presented several of his policies and how he was going to achieve them when he took his turn at the 3rd Presidential debate organized by the IEA.

It was also another opportunity for him to explain how he intended implementing his universalisation of basic education so that Ghanaians, as he had often said, would not suffer educational deprivation and access free education from kindergarten to senior high school.

It was a project which, ever since the NPP flag bearer flagged it on the political turf, had attracted the attention of various interest groups.

Outlining his policy direction in the education sector, he stated that “the cost of providing free secondary school education, which includes tuition, boarding, feeding and all the other charges for the 2013-2014 academic year, is estimated at 0.1% of our GDP. This translates into some GH¢78 million.”

Nana Addo said the figure will rise to GH¢1.45 billion (1.3% of GDP) in 2016, insisting that if the current administration can spend over GHS600 million on judgement debts then the country can find the money to fund the policy.

But Mr Asiedu Nketia, who was obviously not impressed, said Nana Addo performed below average and there was also nothing significant in the policy outline which he read.

He accused the NPP flagbearer of failing to address sufficiently most of the questions posed to him at the IEA Encounter.

Speaking in an interview on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning show, General Mosquito as the NDC General Secretary is affectionately called, slammed Nana Addo for giving what he described as a rather ridiculous answer when asked about how he was going to help curb the drug menace in the country.

“I was disappointed when Nana Addo said improving and making education accessible to all will be enough to curb the drug menace….instead of him giving policy issues and institutional reforms to fight corruption, he only gave a personal example that he will live an exemplary life and hurl culprits to court…it was this same NPP who posited that the fact that a country has an incorruptible leader doesn’t mean his administration won’t be corrupt so it is surprising they are now offering the same explanation; Nana Addo should come again…,” Asiedu Nketia said.

To him, Nana Addo can only be seen as committed to ensuring a peaceful election if he apologizes for his call to arms; the “all-die-be-die” mantra.

General Mosquito also scoffed at attempts by the NPP leader to take credit for the influx of mobile telecommunication investors in Ghana pointing out that it was the then NDC government that put policies in place the much needed business-friendly environment to pave way for Nana Addo to bring down his mobile telecommunication partners into the country.

“Besides, he said, it was President John Mahama (then Minister of Communications) who helped introduced mobile communication in the country,” he added.