SOTN 2020: Akufo-Addo lied with boldness – Magoo jabs

Former Municipal Chief Executive for Suhum, Margaret Ansei aka Magoo has criticised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and described him as a terrible liar.

The PRO for former appointees of the John Dramani Mahama administration observed the president churned out lies to Ghanaians when he delivered the state of the nation address Thursday.

She said the president’s address did not reflect the true state of affairs in the country.

“Nana Akufo-Addo lies with so much boldness that he repeated same when he delivered the state of the nation address in Parliament,” the 2016 parliamentary candidate for Suhum noted.

During the address, Nana Akufo-Addo touted his achievements, saying “78% of the promises we solemnly made to the people of Ghana have been or are in the process of being fulfilled.”

He said the National Health Insurance has become very efficient than ever before, saying he economy of the country is on track, indicating that Ghanaians are comfortable than under his predecessor, John Mahama.

“Mr. Speaker, in three years we have reduced inflation to its lowest level (7.8% in January 2020) since 1992. For the first time in over 40 years, we have had a fiscal deficit below 5% of GDP for three years in a row. For the first time in over 20 years, the balance of trade (that is the difference between our exports and imports) has been in surplus for three consecutive years,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.

But reacting to the address on Weekend Focus hosted by Kwame Minkah on Power 97.9 FM, Madam Ansei Magoo rubbished the president’s assertions and stated that Ghanaians are suffering than ever before.

She said the frequent fuel hikes that have led to the rise in prices of goods and services, insecurity and the muzzling of journalists by government surrogates through numerous ways, which include the closure of radio stations that criticise the Akufo-Addo government meant the president was using power in an arbitrary way.

She also stated that the president lied about the effectiveness of the NHIS, explaining that if the scheme was that buoyant as the president said the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) would have reimbursed claims submitted by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) member facilities by now.

The NHIA owes the facilities for over nine months. The CHAG some two weeks ago threatened to return to the cash and carry regime due to the government’s indebtedness to their facilities.

Throwing ocassional jibes at the president, Magoi said the president was also dishonest with the fight against illegal mining and cited the pollution of the river Pra as evidence to the president’s “deliberate reluctance to fight galamsey”.

“The Pra river serves over 1,400 communities in four regions but it is heavily polluted as a result of galamsey by people who are close to the government yet Akufo-Addo lies to us that he is fighting galamsey,” she said.

Magoo concluded that until Ghanaians vote for NDC’s flagbearer John Mahama in the upcoming polls, Ghana will continue to be mismanaged to the detriment of the citizens.