Akufo-Addo edges Mahama on the infrastructural debate: Why the Green Book was a hoax!

President Akufo-Addo had a valid point when he told the visiting eminent Chiefs from the Upper West Region that former President Mahama was not forthright on his pronouncements on the provision of infrastructural projects (see: ‘Your unprecedented infrastructure claims untrue; stop lying ‘- Akufo-Addo to Mahama’; abcnewsgh.com/ghanaweb.com, 08/05/2019).

In his response to the Chiefs supplication to the incumbent NPP administration to do all it can to FastTrack the constructions of the Wa Air Strip and the Upper West Regional Hospital, President Akufo-Addo expressed grave concern over the erstwhile NDC administration’s somewhat misleading pronouncements on the provision of ‘unprecedented infrastructural projects’.

President Akufo-Addo poured his heart out: “roads are my biggest burden in Ghana”. “The ‘dishonest’ claims by President Mahama on the supposed improvement in the country’s road infrastructure, remains a top priority for people everywhere I go.”

“Before I came here, I was told by my biggest competitor that they have done all the roads in Ghana and that they are responsible for an unprecedented infrastructural development, everywhere I go, I do not think there is any authority institution that has talked to me and has not raised the issue about the roads in their area as their principal concern”.

It would thus appear that the operatives of the National Democratic Congress sought to hoodwink unsuspecting electorates with their non-existent infrastructural achievements via a symbolic green book.

Apparently, the experts argue that a message can be classified as propaganda if it “suggests something negative and dishonest”.

It is an open secret that the NDC loyalists delineated some phantom infrastructural projects in their green book to the utter disgust of discerning Ghanaians.

In fact, the NDC’s infrastructural propaganda underscores Hitler’s observation on the propagation of propaganda.

Hitler observed: "With the help of a skilful and continuous application of propaganda, it is possible to make the people conceive even of heaven as hell” (Adolf Hitler).

On 1st December 2018, I began a 10-week fact-finding mission in the company of family members.

We managed to tour some remote parts in six regions, including Greater Accra, Eastern Region, Western Region, Central Region, Brong-Ahafo Region and the Ashanti Region.

In fact, some of the roads were so deplorable to an extent that we could not travel by saloon car. We only managed to travel around in a Land Rover Jeep.

Dearest reader, I could not believe what I was witnessing on my travels.

Subsequently, I soliloquized: ‘barely 25 months into the NPP administration and Ghana’s roads have become unmotorable all of a sudden, despite the erstwhile NDC government’s much touted infrastructural projects?’

The fact though, remains that the NPP government could not have deliberately messed-up the roads in less than three years in office, far from it.

We can, therefore, draw an adverse inference that the outgone NDC administration’s unprecedented infrastructural pronouncement was a charade.

Let us however be honest, if the Mahama administration constructed some of the roads, then we cannot help but to conclude that some officials wilfully caused financial loss to the state.

Dearest reader, if you may recall, Ex-President Mahama and his vociferous NDC apparatchiks cunningly took refuge in their much touted infrastructural projects after failing abysmally to initiate expedient policies and programmes to overturn the failed policies of agriculture, poverty reduction and resource allocation in the areas of healthcare, education, finance, supply chain management and security sector planning, amongst others.

I remember whenever the good people of Ghana expressed their grievances over the NDC’s maladaptive governance; Ex-President Mahama and his vociferous communicators would go berserk: aren’t we transforming lives by building roads, hospitals, schools, toilets, water facilities, amongst others?

Unfortunately, most of the projects were not up to the required standards, albeit they were overpriced. They have indeed caused financial loss to the state.

Dearest reader, if you may recall, the former Minister for Local Government under Mahama’s administration, Collins Dauda attested to such assertion. He decried the NDC’s poorly constructed and often overpriced projects.

There was an occasion when concerned Ghanaians complained about the poorly constructed roads in Kumasi and Ex-President Mahama was reported to have responded lividly: ‘You ungrateful lots, you would never even be appreciative if I constructed your roads with gold’.

In fact, Ex-President Mahama and his teeming supporters were refusing to appreciate that exemplary governance is not all about putting up numerous infrastructural projects.

It is worth stressing that excellence governance goes beyond the provision of social infrastructural and amenities. Praiseworthy governance also involves continuous improvement of socio-economic standards of living.

In Ghana today, we have politicians in our midst who only seek to delude and proselytise millions of unsuspecting Ghanaians.

After attesting to so much scheming guiles and frequent propagation of propaganda, many Ghanaians have ceased believing such politicians.

Yes, we do need true leaders. Obviously, we need individuals who have vision, direction, and strength to reach our goals.

As a matter of fact, we choose to elect a government to oversee our national affairs. And, we, in turn, are obliged to pay taxes to the elected government so as to run the country to our satisfaction.

In addition, the elected government has our unfailing support to go for prudent loans to support the day-to-day management of the country. In effect, we (the citizens) pay for all the expenses pertaining to the management of the country.

It was for that reason that I was in agreement with President Mahama for suggesting poignantly in somewhere 2008 that it is an exercise in mediocrity for any government to take delight in infrastructural projects.

Apparently, Ex-President Mahama meant to suggest that every lousy government could easily undertake that role of governance. By inference, the erection of infrastructural projects is as easy as ABC.

No offence intended, though, Madam Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) could put up more infrastructural projects if given the opportunity.

To be brutally honest, since discerning Ghanaians are obliged to pay taxes, it would be boundlessly unconscionable for any government and its teeming supporters to hide behind social amenities and infrastructural projects such as public toilets, schools, roads, water, electricity, amongst others. After all, to whom much is given, much is expected.

In ending, I do not intend to be patronising, far from it. But if governance is all about putting up infrastructural projects, then I will dare state that even my unlettered and untrained mother would perform exceedingly better than what the outgone Mahama government achieved with all the copious resources.

k.badu2011@gmail.com