Akufo-Addo Turns One-Dimensional Candidate

By Nana Akua Tweneboah-Koduah

There is a certain kind of wind currently blowing in the campaign trail of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, which may have escaped voters. It is therefore; very important that the minds of voters are drawn to this situation to help them make clued-up decision as the 2012 elections gets down to the wire.

The NPP which launched its manifesto some months ago amidst fanfare which was later topped up with a rally at Mantse Agbonaa in Accra, seems to have abandoned everything in the manifesto. The talk in town today is that Nana Akufo-Addo has become a one-dimensional presidential candidate with only one issue on his lip – free Senior High School education.

News making rounds have it that when a voter asked Nana Akufo-Addo how he was going to boost the economy when given the nod, his response was – free Senior High School education. In another situation when another voter wanted to know how Akufo-Addo would solve the garbage situation in the country, he responded that he will provide free Senior High School education. When Akufo-Addo campaigned in the north and an old lady asked him if he will provide a health facility at her town, I am told Nana Akufo-Addo informed the old lady that free Senior High School education is coming to the town.

Please do not laugh about this but take it very serious and digest it. If we as a country have multiple problems that confront us and we have a presidential candidate who sees the solutions to all our problems through the provision of just free Senior High School education, then we have a very serious problem on hand.

Ghana, with a population of close to 25 million citizens currently has issues with electricity, water, schools, roads, food and housing among others. These issues are very dear to the hearts of voters, many of whom lack one, two or all of these basic social needs. And not to sound very political, solving of these basic social issues cannot come from the provision of just free Senior High School education.

The NPP which is trumpeting the free Senior High School education mantra knows that they are feeding falsehood to Ghanaians. The NPP is making it seem as if, if we provide Ghanaian school students with free Senior High School education all our other problems which ranges from electricity, water, schools, roads, food and housing among others will be solved. That is falsehood, it’s unethical and that is misleading.

Don’t get me wrong. Free Senior High School education is good, but it aint gonna solve all the multiple problems confronting the country. But the NPP which is aided largely by Akufo-Addo has abandoned every problem facing the country and is singing free Senior High School education everywhere.

How can a serious country like Ghana reduce its presidential debate to just one single issue – free Senior High School education? And how can a presidential candidate of a major political party in the country just run with only one single issue? I mean how can Akufo-Addo reduce himself to a one-dimensional candidate with nothing else to talk about?

Ghanaians need a leader to come on board to help solve the major issues confronting them. We don’t need anybody to toy with our lives by taking our votes for granted. We need people with hard-nosed policies to help in moving the country forward. Rhetoric is good, but it cannot help Ghana in any shape if it becomes just political talk.

I will run away from somebody who seems not to have any comprehensive program to move Ghana forward except kicking around with one-dimensional theme. Ghanaian voters have become wiser; therefore, spraying something into their eyes to deceive them will not cut it this time around.

nakuakoduah@yahoo.com