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Fatai Ayinla, a Nigerian with whom I attended elementary school at Kusi Presby Primary and L/A Middle School recently paid a visit to Ghana. He narrated his ordeal at the hands of the Nigerian Police some few years ago.

It was the period of Christmas and the spirit of the season could be felt in the air. Not to be outdone by others, Fatai in company of two friends had gone to buy a goat to be used for preparing pepper soup.

On the way home, their taxi was stopped by the Police. “Oya park and bring out your parti-cola. Oh what do you have in the boot? Make you declare everything kia,kia. I can see a goat here, but don't tell me it is yours. It does not resemble any of you and so none could claim it as his child. It means it is a stolen goat. Now, bring your receipt!

“Officer, sir, emm, well, u see nobody gives or collects receipt for a goat, fowl or chicken.” “My friend, don't waste my time. It is either a receipt or to the station.”

Na so it be that no do, no do, my friend and his two other colleagues found themselves at the police station and then to the cells. It was only after some “Ghana must go bags” had changed hands that they were allowed to breathe the air of freedom.

The above episode brings me closer home to the huge amount of money blown which had entered the stomachs of over 151 members of the transitional team. Infact, I wouldn't have made any noise if the NDC as a party had not deceived Ghanaians with her “I care for you” slogan. I would have adopted a “siddon look” as propounded by the late Cicero of Esa Oke, Chief Bola Ige, Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Nigeria. Silence, they say is golden. So why should I bother myself and comment on issues which will attract venom? I know the political Goliaths are anxious to fling their darts at me. But I remain unshaken in my belief that the truth will eventually emerge and justice will prevail. I shall never quiver. I will never surrender.

He, who dines with the tiger, ends up in its belly. My problem with the NDC is that all of them appear to be “Yes men and women”. Nobody criticizes an official policy or toe a different line from the official position. If the leader, like Napoleon of Animal Farm says yes, so be it. All, from the highest papacy to the lowest clergyman will toe the same line.

Just complain about the activities of its members, and they will jump the gun and quickly tell you that worst things had happened under the previous NPP regime. Why did you not complain at that time, they will ask rhetorically? And so push turns to shove and the rufu–rufu fighting continues unabated.

Let us suspend this issue for now and concentrate on the open display of arrogance, opulence and dissipation of public funds-our own money by members of the NDC.Tell me, please, do tell me if it is true that the NDC blew over Gh¢361, 924.41 on the transition. At first, I did not believe it. It appears as if my ears and eyes were deceiving me. Couldn't this be the work of jaundiced writers and columnists who were out to destroy the NDC with their cock and bull stories?

But no, hold your breath for a minute. Those who told us they cared for us have now shown by their actions that indeed they cared for themselves! Yes, they do care, but not for you and I. It is for themselves, their family and friends.

I remember a teacher friend of mine nicknamed Asuo Adede. He came up with the proposition “that a man must have a reward for the services he renders”. He would then go to the dining hall and take an extra plate. He expanded his deduction to include his family in which case, two extra plates went his home. Finally his deduction came to “A man must have a reward for himself, his family and friends for the service he renders”. You can guess the number of extra plates of food (ration) that went to his house on daily basis. And that is exactly what the Transition team has done to us. And that is exactly what the NDC done to you and me and to all of us.

They have chopped our monies nyafu-nyafu. But are you surprised? That is the African Politician for you? Na our money. Your money and mine! But is this not an act of stealing? From where did they derive the authority to “chopulate” our money just like that? Did they collect receipts for the tea, biscuit, spoons and saucers? We need those receipts to enable us do a proper auditing. And what happened to the spoons, the saucers, plates and the utensils? I hope they have not carried them into their homes just like the ex-speaker did. If they did that, then they would have no moral authority to condemn the ex-speaker. And if they 'chop-chopped' our monies without authorization, the BNI must invite them and find out on whose authority their stomachs went on such profligate spending like that.

Refreshment GHс 135,316.30. Can someone please translate this figure into opepepeepee for me? This is money swine regime. Where did they order their lunch from? Is it from Mr. Biggs, Papaye or…. We need to know the source of supply so that some of us can conduct our own private or individual investigations to ensure that no one has made a cut for him or herself. After all, we are in an era of probity and accountability.

Now to all those who participated in the transition: I have these posers for them. Is this an era of free lunch, free breakfast, free this or that? If they are going to be given some form of remuneration, what was the logic behind being given refreshment? After all, are there not workers in the various Ministries and the Corporations who are working but are not given such incentives? If they were gainfully employed, wouldn't they have been buying their own food or refreshment? It was unethical or morally wrong to blow such an opepeepeepee on tea, goat meat, chicken, and others. By the way, was pig meat added to the menu? What about drinks? Let us know how many bottles of champagne were popped to celebrate such a “smooth transition”.

We are also aware that some members of the transition team were occupying some positions in the public service. And with such honoraria going to them, would it not amount to collecting double salaries from our coffers which this regime claims is broke? And then when one takes a look at the amount being paid to these so called men of vision transparency and integrity, one is at a loss to fathom which evil spirit might have entered their system to make them dupe the nation by collecting such a whopping sum of money for work covering two month which could have been completed in less than half the period. The chairman collected GH¢2,250 as allowance. How many Ghanaians earn that amount in two months? Indeed very few! And when you add free car, free fuel from the castle and free food (Three square meals a day) then one can say that this was the most “unkindest cut of all”. What wickedness made them go down the path of biblical Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? These wicked people who threw all decency to the wind and blew up this fantastic amount are operating freely. They have a blank cheque to execute their devilish and selfish plan without hindrance because their sponsor is the government.

Now, we would like to know the source of authorization. Who authorized the money to be paid out? From where did they get the money to be paid out to these greedy men and women who did very little job and ended up collecting so much? If the NDC claims the country is broke, where did they get this huge money to dole out to their cronies? I remember one of the Jokes students used to have about the late D.C.Kwakye of Oda in those days. It goes like this “You say farmers are not importance. If famers are not importance, the food you dey chop, from the where? If farmers are not importance, the abenkwan (palm soup) you dey chop, from the where?”

But I shudder to … emm,… err…, well…, think that the NDC Government has mortgaged our oil finds to some foreign interest for pittance just like Esau sold his birth right for pottage. Well, in this period of the NDC, anything at all can happen.

In the coming days and weeks, the government propaganda machinery led by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa would be hard put to explain to us where it got the money to sponsor this free for all spending in a country whose economy this very government has described as broke. Can the NDC really look straight at the faces of Ghanaians and tell us that it has fulfilled to the letter the social contract it signed with the people? No, the party has taken us for a ride; the NDC has short charged us and turned us into pawns in this abracadabra game they are playing with our lives.

How will J.B Danquah be feeling in his grave? I bet the man who gave this country the name Ghana will be turning uncomfortable in his grave. What about Kwame Nkrumah? He will feel betrayed by the antics of the NDC members who claim they are following his footsteps but every action of theirs is the direct antithesis of all that he [Nkrumah] stood for! And yet these people call themselves social democrats!

I learn't the tea was called “tea mpampa” (tea porridge) for if one dips his hands into the cups, it will not reach the bottom on account of its thickness. Continued    Source: Daniel Danquah Damptey

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