Ghanaians need solutions and not delusions [2]

By Newton-Offei Justice Abeeku

After being in power for an unprecedentedly period of nearly 20years, the P[NDC] bequeathed to the good people of this country a shameful legacy of HIPC, in the year 2000, when they were booted out of power.

Interst rate was in the region of 50%, with every sector of the economy in total ruins. The entire Ghana police serve, at the time, had only 10 roadworthy vehicles. Personnel of our security services went to work wearing ‘obroni-waawu’ t-shirts and ‘charle-wote’.

The NPP took over an economy which was virtually on its knees, and within a period of 7years, transformed it from HIPC to a lower-middle-income status, with a credible credit rating. Our many decades of oil exploration which was turned into avenue for reckless investments and foolish dissipation of our nation’s resources, was re-focused; and as a result of diligence and prudence, Ghana struck oil in commercial quantities.

When NPP took over the reins of power in January, 2001, Ghana did not have a drop of petroleum product in reserve. As a matter of fact, President Kufuor had to embark on a quick mission to Nigeria to plead with then President Obasanjo for a 90-day credit supply of fuel, and also request for some Peugeot salon cars for the Ghana police.

These police cars were later augmented with fresh Toyota Tundra and Navara vehicles, which afforded personnel of the service to cruise around in air-conditioned vehicles in our nation’s history.

And after 8years of coming back to power through naked electoral fraud, these NDC people have totally destroyed every good policy alternative actualized by the NPP government, mercilessly looted our state coffers and rendered the economy in total shambles, inspite of the fact that Ghana has benefitted from over $3b of oil revenue which was not available to the Kufuor-led NPP administration.

Nana Addo’s amazing energy

Now, instead of telling Ghanaians how their taxes have been squandered over the last 4years, President John Mahama and his assigns are busily going about mounting blistering verbal attacks on the person of Nana Addo; and claiming he has all kinds of limitations and ailments. None of these NDC people is privy to Nana Addo’s personal medical records, yet, all kinds of diseases are being heaped on him by these insipid propagandists.

But one thing that really beats my imaginatively imaginative imagination, is the source of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's energy and enthusiasm, because, the moment we set-off on a day's campaign schedule, he will be on his feet at every stop, and also, pay courtesy calls on chiefs, religious/opinion leader and identifiable groups.

It gets to stages where some of us in his entourage actually runout of strength and be resting in our vehicles but Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will still be on his feet and rather encouraging us to press on.

Unquestionably, the attitude of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as I have come to realize, is someone being driven by unquenchable fire of patriotism and unprecedented zeal to spearhead a change to bring progress to his people. And, indeed, this is the reason for my ceaseless call for divine wisdom upon the life of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, because, the man means well, and his course is impeccably genuine.

Crumbling Mahama government

Now, the Wednesday, 17th August, 2016 edition of ‘joy news@midday’,were three major news items. The first was about the chief of Mpohor telling John Mahama, right in the face, that, their newly-created district has been completely neglected and all their roads are in deplorable state.

The chief further told the president to fulfill a promise he made to people of the area during the 2012 electioneering campaign and fix the roads, else, 2016 will spell a waterloo for him and his NDC government.

Second on the item was a total mayhem by way of massive street demonstrations in the Volta Region over deplorable roads, where the people also threatened to massively vote against NDC, if something urgent was done about their plight which has resulted in many fatal road accidents.

Third on the item was about the entire maternity department of our nation’s premiere medical facility, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, as a result of total breakdown of oxygen plant of the department. The report further said “the development has resulted in expectant mothers being turned away to literally go home and die”.

John Mahama’s dishonesty

I hear John Mahama is claiming to have fixed all the roads in the western region, and that, if Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the roads in those areas are terrible, then, the latter was sleeping during the tour of the area, only days ago.

Now, I was part of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's entourage on the recent campaign tour of the western region, particularly the northern parts, and I can put my hand on the heart and say that, such claim by John Mahama is very much disrespectful of inhabitants of the area.

As a matter of fact, the roads are damn atrocious to the point where vehicles in our convoy simply couldn't see the one in front of the other, even in broad-day-light. The dust was so intense that air-conditioning systems of some of our vehicles simply broke down.

It is this terrible nature of the roads and generalized depravity of the area, which has been the sole motivation factors for the chiefs and people of the area to overwhelmingly embrace Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's vision to creating the western north constituency.

Wherever we visited in those areas, the chiefs and other prominent opinion leaders Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on, bitterly complained of terrible nature of the roads and how this makes it exceedingly hazardous for them to travel to Takoradi, the regional capital, to perform official duties.

The chiefs, opinion leaders and people of the areas are therefore craving for a separate region because whenever they travel to Takoradi, they often have to stay overnight since a return journey is completely out of the question due to terrible nature of the roads.

So for John Mahama to go to the western region and claim roads in these areas which I personally had the opportunity to traverse, just over the weekend, have all been asphalted, actually cements the fact that, indeed, the man is at end of political survival, and that,he is going breath his last breath on the 7th December, 2016.

Regarding his utterance that "Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was sleeping during the tour of these areas and therefore didn't see the excellent roads", isn't something that should bother any right-thinking Ghanaian, because, foolish utterances is what John Mahama has become notorious for. Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei

Writer's e-mail: e-mail: justnoff@yahoo.com