Where are the prosecutions if Mahama’s administration was corrupt? – Opoku-Agyemang

Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang has challenged the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to show that the Mahama administration was corrupt.

She said claims that members of the previous government were corrupt should be disregarded because there has not been any evidence to that effect.

Members of the NPP have accused Mr Mahama’s administration as the most corrupt government in the history of Ghana.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia when he was the vice-presidential candidate in 2016 said “John Mahama’s government is the most corrupt in the history of Ghana. Dollar for dollar, cedi for cedi, this government is the most corrupt in our history. And yet he tells the people of the North to vote for him because he is our brother.

“Why does your government steal from Northerners if you care for Northerners and why do you want us to give you another opportunity to steal more from the people you say you are trying to protect?” he asked.

But speaking in an interview with Berla Mundi on the Elections 360 programme on Monday, November 9, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang said: “If they say the NDC has been corrupt we have been out of power for four years, where are the trials, where are the closures on the trials?”

She further called on the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Premeph, not to be selective in his analysis of the legacies of the Mahama administration in the educational sector.

According to her, the Mahama administration achieved a lot of successes at the Ministry of Education.

Her comments come after Dr Opoku Prempeh painted a bleak picture of the Professor Opoku-Agyemang-led education ministry.

He described bills left by his predecessor as “huge”.

The Manhyia South Member of Parliament told the House on Tuesday, August 11 while presenting a statement on education reforms and teacher education since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) assumed office that “we met huge outstanding bills under the leadership of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as Minister of Education, on key supplies for education service delivery”.

“There was an outstanding bill of approximately GH¢9 million on Capitation Grant, GH¢4 million on Feeding Grant for Special Schools, GH¢14 million on exercise books to basic schools, and GH¢4 million on the supply of school uniforms among many others.

“Moreover, there were delays in the disbursement of Capitation and Feeding grants for Special Schools, affecting the effective operation of the schools. Within the period, government has cleared all the arrears and ensured the timely release of Capitation and Feeding grants for Special Schools,” he said.

But Professor Opoku-Agyemang told Berla Mundi that: “There was a lot of money we left at the Ministry. In the handing-over notes so many things are there. You can choose whatever you want to take and share with the public.

“How was the Eastern University built if we didn’t leave any money? The Eastern University, how was it built?

“I also want to urge that we all do a bit of research to find out who sourced that money. We left a lot of money and I will use this as an example. I will say that we did the best we could,” she said.