We Must Think Of The Next Generation—Kwabena Agyepong

The general secretary of NPP has re-affirmed the party's preparedness to wrestle power from the ruling NDC government come 2016.In a radio interview on 12TH January, 2015 edition of newspaper review on OK-FM, Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong stressed the point that economic conditions prevailing in the country make it imperative for every member of NPP to be focused and expend energies on educating ordinary Ghanaians as to how their standards of living have depreciated under the current government.

Mr. Agyepong was advising the party followers to tone-down on their pronouncements in the media when it comes to matters internal issues, and also endeavor to follow internal laid-down party channels to seek redress. “As CEO and Chief Spokesperson of the party, my doors are always opened for party members to come and discuss whatever misgivings they might have, and also, share with me ideas which can advance our party's electoral fortunes in 2016 and beyond”, Mr Agyepong said.

“Politics is about advancing the welfare of ordinary people and this is what our tradition has always stood for, unlike the ruling NDC whose interest has always focused on next election rather than the next generation”, Mr Agyepong stated.

Touching on 6years performance of current NDC government, Mr Agyepong is of the belief that Ghanaians are being short-changed in many areas, particularly, value for money in the area of government contracts. He mentioned the facelift of Kumasi Airport which cost the taxpayer a whopping $29m.

“How can 1.9km stretch of asphaltic overlay, runway lights and a car park cost this much”, Mr Agyepong quizzed. He said when he first heard of $29m as being the cost of works done at the Kumasi airport, he thought it was a mistake, and that, the right figure was rather “$2.9”.He used a much better and bigger facility recently built by Ashanti-Gold in Obuasi at a cost of $4m as an evidence of how government contract figures are being inflated.

For example, “a kilometer of asphaltic road cost $600,000 under the Rawlings regime, $200,000 under Kufour and over $1m the under Mills/Mahama government”.

Touching on some projects started by erstwhile Kufour administration, Mr. Agyepong said “over 4,500 affordable housing units built across the nation and were at various stages of competition when NPP exited power in January, 2009 have been left to rot”. “These projects were undertaken with internally-generated funds at the time we had no benefit of oil revenue but with our current status as an oil producing country, these projects have not been completed while STX contract to build 200,000 houses never saw the light of day”, Mr. Agyepong stated

Shedding light on Ghana's current indebtedness, he said when NPP left power in 2009, Ghana's debt stood at Ghc9.5b and with our population of nearly 30million, each citizen owed Ghc70, but within a period of 6years, the Mills-Mahama-Amissah-Arthur administration our debt has ballooned to a whooping Ghc70b with each citizen now owing Ghc2, 800.

Mr. Agyepong therefore urged NPP members to close ranks and help put in-place a well-functioning electoral vehicle on which the party's flag-bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who won the party's presidential primary by empathic 94%, will ride to victory in 2016.

Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei
E-mail: [email protected]