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The woes of Ghanaians in the hands of Nana Addo led - Npp government

President Akufo Addo Suit President Nana Akufo-Addo

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 Source: Victor Quarshie Adonoo

Not too long ago, Ghanaians went to the polls and voted massively for an NPP government with a lot of hopes and aspirations but alas! There is nothing promising to speak of in the six months old Nana Addo led-NPP government.

The NPP who campaigned on the soaring wing of hope has cut short the hopes and aspirations of many Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians due to the leadership of deceit exhibited by the President and his apparatchiks.

Reading a very interesting portion of Ola Rotimi’s novel The Gods Are Not To Blame, a story which centres on Odewale, who was lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a rather consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land, I have come to agree with an accompanying literature question which reads “in matters of life, man has a choice but often chooses wrongly.

Do you agree? Discuss

In agreeing with the above thought provoking literature question in expressing my views on the current state of affairs of Ghana, I will say YES, Ghanaians had the choice of retaining a peaceful, lawful, truthful, hardworking and a well- performing NDC government, the good people of Ghana had the choice of voting against the lies and deceit of the then opposition NPP, we as Ghanaians had the choice of choosing between a youthful, energetic and a peace advocate, John Mahama and a weak, old veteran dictator, Nana Addo. There were good choices available to us as a nation but we decided to choose darkness over light. I know for sure that most readers will be asking why darkness?

Rest assured! In this intriguing article, I will try to explain comprehensively why the above assumption. If you could recall, in the heat of the 2016 general elections, candidate Nana Addo now President and his running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia criss-crossed the entire nation promising heaven on earth. They peddled lies and falsehood against the then NDC government led by HE John Dramani Mahama.

They met market women, businessmen, farmers, artisans, small-scale miners, students, and academicians among others to canvass for votes using what I call “mafia tactics”. They used lies and vile propaganda and lured unsuspecting Ghanaians in believing that there will be “heaven in Ghana” should they win power. The turn of events in Ghana today under the watch of Nana Addo is nothing to write home. It is only God who can save us!

I would like to bring to the public attention the state of insecurity, corruption, and the deceit of Nana Addo and his lazy government, a situation which could be best described as darkness in contemporary Ghana.

The dangerous level of lawlessness in Ghana in the 6 months old NPP government led by the veteran politician, President Nana Addo needs much to be desired. In just a period of six months, Ghanaians have been living in a state of fear and hysteria due to the actions and inactions of vigilante groups established and supported by surrogates of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). The Serbian and South African trained NPP hooligans have been on vandalism spree, seizing state properties, harassing former government appointees through unlawful invasions and going on collision course with law enforcement agencies.

The forceful and violent nature in which the Delta Force members attacked the court in Kumasi and freed suspects in lawful custody is still fresh in the memories of all Ghanaians and Non-Ghanaians. The vandalism of the police post by the irate youths of Somanya was a replay of Delta force in Kumasi. The brutal assault on ASP Nanka Bruce at the presidency is still fresh in our memories.

When talking of insecurity in Ghana, Bugri Naabu’s wild murder allegation connecting Hon. Otiko Afisa Djaba, the Gender and Social Protection Minister and Hon. Rockson Bukari, the Upper East Regional Minister to the heinous murder of the late Alhaji Adams Mahama cannot be left out.

It needs to be revisited. I refuse to let it go down the drain because if it does, it could spell doom for our democracy and good governance. The said allegation is mind-boggling and must not be swept under the carpet by the NPP government as a cover up. The mere apologies from the duo means nothing to Ghanaians. The good people of Ghana cannot allow Bugri Naabu to “Suarez” them on the back of an apology he rendered under duress. There could be some iota of truth in his pronouncements since the other person (Hon. Rockson Bukari) mentioned in the murder allegation was not part of their (Naabu and Otiko) fight. How come Bugri did not mentioned Gregory Afoko this time round but Rockson Bukari? Is this wild allegation what Bugri wants Ghanaians to believe is a slip of tongue? So does it mean Gregory Afoko is also languishing in jail because someone mistakenly slipped his tongue to say he is the one who might have killed the late Chairman Adams?

Again, does it mean the bribery allegation he (Naabu) levelled against President Mahama in the heat of the 2016 elections was after all a slip of tongue? Oh my God! Where the truth does comes from?

Again on the state of insecurity, we have a reckless instant mob attack against Capt. Maxwell Mahama by rowdy residents of Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central region resulting in the heinous death of the young promising security capo.

The mind-boggling question which obviously needs to be answered by the president as well as Ghanaians is “na who cause am”?? The truth is not far-fetched. The president of the republic cannot exonerate himself from the lawlessness going on in our beloved country. This is because the right example has not been set by President Nana Addo and his party.

Instead of him, condemning in no uncertain terms the reckless endorsement of violence by some senior members of his party in order to deter other citizens, the old man is being silenced for the fear of being exposed as a violent person himself. The hypocrisy in our body politics must stop! The truth must be told whether it involves party “A” or “B”.

The President has not shown leadership so far as state security is concerned. He has lost focus and cannot act to protect the same citizens who voted for him to be called Mr. President. Most Ghanaians are worried and cannot sleep with their eyes closed. Is these unfortunate occurrences not vindication of what Nana Addo’s closest friend, Kofi Koomson warned us in 2008 about that he cannot sleep and feel safe should Nana Addo wins the presidency? This tells me clearly that the old man is not in charge of the peaceful Ghana he inherited from his predecessor, Former President John Mahama. Looking under the covers of the NPP government, I see a more complex and troubling reality in maintaining peace and order because of their support for vigilantism which won them power as indicated by the maverick politician Hon. Kennedy Agyapong.

The earlier we rise to the occasion to arrest this situation, the better for all of us.

Without doubt, the allegations of corruption levelled against key members of Nana Addo’s government must be a worry to all Ghanaians. Ghanaians must have interest in this serious cases and follow them to their logical conclusion. The question to Nana Addo is what could have motivated his cousin, Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister of the republic to issue a whopping $2.25bn bond in secrecy to his business partner, Franklin Templeton Investment Ltd? If they are not covering up any rot why have they denied Ghanaian investors from participating in the deal? Was it done for Nana Addo to exploit the nation’s resources for debt repayment?

The least said about Daniel Bugri Naabu, a man who lied against president Mahama in broad day light the better. So after all, Bugri Naabu can also use his position as a regional chairman to extort cash, goats, cows and sheep from people in Tamale in return for securing government appointments for them? Oyiwaa! This is according to their (NPP) own Otiko Afisa Djaba not me….So if this allegation is anything to go by, why is Bugri Naabu running away from the Savelugu crisis? If Bugri Naabu claimed the said allegations of corruption against him were falsehoods meant to soil him, then why was he afraid to go to the ground to resolve the boiling issues there? Why was he afraid that his stomach will be split open, should he dare enter Savelugu? These are serious questions begging for clear-cut answers, Mr. President.

Ghanaians are yet to come to terms with the deceitful leadership style of Nana Addo and his deputy Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. What did the duo told us during the heat of the campaign? They said and I quote “We will not borrow”. But can same be said of the NPP today? Throughout the 2016 campaign the NPP claimed that it will not borrow when it comes to power. This claim was strongly refuted by the NDC that was not possible because even when NPP in 2001 became the biggest beneficiary of debt forgiveness in our history by taking the country to HIPC, it went on a borrowing spree and before the NPP left office in January 2009, the debt-to-GDP ratio had gone up to nearly 40 percent as a result of excessive borrowing by the NPP.

Dr. Bawumia are u going by your own words of not borrowing? No! This means your claim of not borrowing was a great deception to the Ghanaian electorates. Again, we have a government who said continuously that they will not borrow dashing to China to negotiate a whopping $19 billion credit facility. The question here is does Ghana have the capacity to borrow $19 billion) and be able to service it over the next ten years? Is this not strange? I want to bring to the attention of the good people of Ghana that the $19 billion Chinese loan the Vice-President went and negotiated for is a travesty that will haunt Ghanaians if care is not taken.

The NPP government must be stopped with all aggression by Ghanaians from engaging in such reckless borrowing before they plunge the economy into a big mess.

You see, the issue with Nana Addo’s deceitful nature is not in doubt. He was not truthful to Ghanaians. He lied his way to power thinking he can blame the NDC for his woes but the troubling realities of governance vis-a-vis the challenges on the ground are hanging as an albatross on his neck.

In conclusion, I want to remind the president H. E. Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo that the woes of ordinary Ghanaians who voted him have reached a crescendo and the centre refuses to hold.

Mr. President Ghanaians who queued on the scorching sun for you to be made president are gasping for air under your watch and there is an urgent need for you to show leadership and fix the myriad of problems facing Ghanaians, for the talk shows by your government cannot take us anywhere as a country.

Columnist: Victor Quarshie Adonoo