Mahama’s God reigns - Akufo Addo’s 100 days in Office

When former President John Dramani Mahama said he will leave history to judge his tenure as President following his painful defeat in the December 2016 elections, he was perhaps telling Ghanaians that the God he serves will vindicate him in no time.

Ghanaians who believed Mr Mahama’s unexpected defeat was as a result of outright lies and fabrications peddled by then opposition New Patriotic Party led by Nana Akufo-Addo never thought the immediate past President’s prediction of vindication would be so soon; less than 100 days into Akufo-Addo’s government.

Unexpectedly as it is, President Akufo-Addo and the NPP since taking over the leadership of the country have resorted to taking similar decisions and acts it harshly criticized the Mahama government, tagging it as incompetent and the worse thing to ever have happened to Ghana.

While President Akufo-Addo and the nation’s supposed neutral civil society, religious bodies and the media, accused President Mahama of subjecting the judiciary to attacks when he granted Montie Fm’s talk show host, Salifu Mase aka Mugabe, and two others remission of their sentences handed by the Supreme Court, the worse form of judiciary attacks is being perpetuated today under an NPP government.

Currently, the nation’s judiciary and other state institutions are under siege and as they are continually being subjected to worse form of abuse by NPP vigilante groups.

Vigilante groups in the NPP, Invincible Forces and Delta Forces among others, have since NPP’s victory in last year’s election been terrorizing innocent Ghanaians and taking over state institutions including public toilets, tollbooths, NHIA and YEA offices etc.

The activities of the NPP hoodlums came to head when the Delta Forces last week stormed a Kumasi Circuit Court to free 13 of their members who were facing charges for assaulting the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator.

The marauding group also attacked the presiding judge, Mary Senkyire, who had earlier ruled that the suspects be remanded to appear before court on April 20, 2017. Prior to this, another vigilante group affiliated to the NPP, Invincible Forces had assaulted a police office, ASP Nanka Bruce, and former NDC MP for Gomoa Central, Rachel Apoh, at the Flag Staff House.

The Delta Forces’ raiding of the Kumasi Circuit Court was less than 48 hours after President Akufo-Addo visited the Ashanti region and promised the Asantehene that the barbaric act by NPP vigilante groups will never recur.

Even before the Delta Forces’ siege of the Kumasi Circuit Court another NPP vigilante group, the Invincible Forces had besieged the offices of the Eastern Regional NHIA, and forcibly locked the office of the Regional Manager.

In all these unprovoked attacks on innocent Ghanaians including the judiciary, President Akufo-Addo has remained silent even though he led members of his party to accused former President Mahama to have instigated the “Montie trio” to attack on the judiciary.

The Akufo-Addo government has also been backtracking on its campaign promises based on which Ghanaians voted for them ahead of then ruling NDC in last year’s election. President Akufo-Addo’s promise to rollout “Free SHS” for all students in Senior High Schools has turned out to be lies.

According to government, it’s Free SHS policy which is billed to start September this year will cover only first year SHS Students. Government’s shifty position on its promises has also been extended to the transport and energy sectors.

While Akufo-Addo, then in opposition, promised downward review of prices of fuel to ensure decrease in transport fares by commercial drivers, the Ghana Private Roads and Transport Union has rather increased transport fares by 15 percent to commensurate with increase in fuel prices among others.

The Akufo-Addo government’s promise to holistically solve dumsor has also not materialized. Under its watch, Ghanaians are still complaining of unstable power supply to their homes and work places.

Spare parts dealers in Abbosey Okai who donated in support of NPP’s campaign and were promised taxes on spare parts will be scrapped are also wailing over government’s deceptive antics.

The spare parts dealers, who jubilated when Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, announced in the 2017 budget that taxes on spare parts have been abolished, had the rude shock of their lives when government again said the taxes may not be removed unless ECOWAS gives clearance for same.

Contractors who were promised by Akufo-Addo that all monies government owed them will be paid in his first 100 days in office are also yet to receive their monies. In the case of the contractors, government did not make provision for them in this year’s budget.

In all these, President Akufo-Addo is also faced with daunting task to fighting galamsey which he accused former President Mahama of lacking the competence to deal with.

As government is battling to clear its image following the roundly condemned conducts of its vigilante groups, the Akufo-Addo government has also fallen on its own dagger, after extending for two years the IMF program it very much criticized.

Though the NPP led by vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and party stalwarts threatened to review the IMF program the Mahama administration signed-on to, blaming it for the high unemployment and hardship in the country among others, the Akufo-Addo led NPP government unashamedly, is ‘begging’ the IMF to extend the program by two more years.

What has even come more as surprise to many is the NPP government’s resort to borrowing even though, President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia and leading NPP economists shredded the Mahama government for borrowing to finance infrastructure projects.

An April 3, 2017 statement issued by Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Finance announced that the Akufo-Addo government has “raised USD 2billion including a debut 15 year domestic bond”

Similarly, while the President chastised late President Mills and former President Mahama for appointing 74 and 86 ministers and deputies respectively, President Akufo-Addo has so far, set new record appointing110 ministers and deputies and still counting

But the President said the cost of running his large sized government will become a non-issue next few years by which time his government would have built a better, bigger economy.

Government has also been hit with scandals ranging from plagiarized speeches, logo and appointees alleged to be of shady characters.

The Bureau of National Investigation recently wrote to President Akufo-Addo to withdraw the appointment of deputy Minister of Agriculture designate, Mr George Oduro over his alleged involvement in cocaine trade.

According to the BNI report, Mr Oduro, also known as George Best and George Kwame Oduro aka Kay, was on May 19, 2008 mentioned as a principal suspect in a cocaine case in Geneva, Switzerland where he is wanted.

But Mr Oduro has denied the allegation, threatening to sue BNI. “I have not dealt in Cocaine in my life, Asempa (Fm) you know me well and I cannot understand why the BNI boss could do such a shoddy job,” he stated in a recent interview.

The many gaffes, backtracking on promises, ongoing hooliganism by NPP vigilante groups among others have compelled unrepentant backers of President Akufo-Addo to call for a halt the terror happening under his watch.

Former moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev Prof Emmanuel Martey, a known supporter of NPP, has charged the President to stop the national shame the activities of NPP vigilante groups are bringing to the country.

“These violent vigilante groups with their unorthodox modus operandi have a severe dent on the democratic credentials of our country and the earlier the government puts a halt to this national shame and put damage control strategies in place, the better for our democracy.

“Ghanaians are watching. Yes, you came in less than three months ago but Ghanaians are watching, minimize your mistakes. Violence is violence no matter who commits it. Violence is violence no matter who perpetuates it and it must be condemned in no uncertain terms. Ghana must not be taken years or decades back. We must move rather forward into freedom and justice, progress and development to bring into fruition, the vision of our political forbears,” he stated a graduation ceremony at the Christ Apostolic College in Kumasi at the weekend.

Chairman of the Peace Council, Rev Prof Emmanuel Asante, has also condemned the activities of NPP vigilante groups, insisting that “this action is taking us back”.

The despicable acts of the government affiliated hoodlums have also compelled the United Nations to send an SOS to President Akufo-Addo to deal with the needless attacks on innocent Ghanaians by NPP vigilante groups.

A statement jointly signed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and UN Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas and the Resident Coordinator of the UN System in Ghana, Christine Evans Klock, dated April 10, 2017, said those acts are likely to tarnish the image of Ghana as a model of democracy and the rule of law and the earlier the government put measures in place to end these acts the better.

As at press time yesterday, President Akufo-Addo was billed to address the nation on matters of national importance among them, the two raging issues of galamsey and vigilantism.