The 8 Things That Make Prez Akufo-Addo A Corruption Grandmaster

The 3 times Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party [NPP], Nana Akufo Addo in 2016 mounted the moral high horse, claiming to be incorruptible and that he is the most competent and capable person to weed out corruption from our country if given the mandate.

To make his promise much believable and for Ghanaians to grant him the mandate that has eluded him the past four decades, Nana Akufo Addo said persons hoping to serve in his government with the sole aim of amassing wealth should look elsewhere including the private sector and that he was not going to tolerate it.

Just two years into his administration, aside being irredeemably corrupt; a corruption Grandmaster, the Akufo Addo government has the most nepotistic government in global history. At the last count, the President has appointed into key positions over 65 of his associates. In that list of appointees are ex-girlfriends, in-laws, natives, friends and family members - brothers; sisters; sons; daughters; cousins; nieces; nephews.

Even before the government hits 2 years in office, the President’s friend, brother and campaign financier and former GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi was caught on Number 12 tape arranging to collect huge sums of bribe; $5million; $3million; $1million; $1million etc for the President, his Vice, a Deputy Chief of Staff among others.

On that same tape, Kwesi Nyantakyi revealed that the President’s brother is in-charge of taking 5% sum of any contract government grants, ostensibly to be used by the Akufo Addo family to recover family assets sold to fund electoral campaigns.

As if that is not enough, NPP’s leading figure Ken Agyapong has publicly stated the Akufo Addo Presidency demands $20,000 from any investor seeking to meet with him [President].

Below are the 8 things that make President Akufo Addo a Grandmaster in corruption;

1. Clearing Agent General – He cleared himself, his Minister of Trade and Deputy and others of $100,000 Cash4Seat bribery case, forcing the Parliamentary Committee probing the matter to present a report suiting his own whims and caprices.
   
   He also through the Police CID cleared his 2 Deputy Chiefs [‘thieves’] of Staff and elevated the Deputy Director General of CID, Tiwaa Addo Danquah to a Director General position at a time she herself was caught on tape plotting with others to drop criminal charges against the 2 Deputy Chiefs of Staff.
2. Investigator of the “Anas principle” – Contrary to his own 2016 promises to rely on the “Anas principle” to fight and weed out corruption, President Akufo Addo has rather requested that the “Anas principle” be investigated; seeking to protect a key appointee [Anti-galamsey staff] caught on video taking bribes to aid galamsey.
3. Protecting his friend, brother and financier, Kwesi Nyantakyi from criminal prosecution after the damning Number 12 expose,’ claiming there is no evidence to prosecute him, at a time FIFA, an organization arguably with very little integrity regarding corruption has relied on the same evidence to severely punish Kwesi Nyantakyi.
4. Refusal to make public some investigative reports – The President’s un-willingness to honour requests to make public the reports on the Australian Visa scandal; the enquiry into the grave charges levelled by the Auditor General against the Audit Service Board Chairman; the Ghana Integrity Initiative’s request on him to update the public on the level of work on all corruption related issues before him and his government.
5. Presiding over the bribe collecting syndicate at the Presidency – According to NPP’s financier, Ken Agyapong, the Akufo Addo’s Presidency demand between $20,000 -$30,000 from any investor seeking to meet with him [the President].
6. Presiding over a nepotistic government and harbouring corrupt appointees – He has a humongous number of associates including in-laws, natives, ex-girlfriends, friends and family members in government, ignoring demands to sack and keeping corrupt/offending appointees such as galamsey kingpin, Charles Bissue, 2 Deputy Chiefs of Staff and Bryan Acheampong aka Fordey Sankoh at the Presidency.
7. Presiding over contract % charges - According to Kwesi Nyantakyi, the President’s brother, Bumpty is in-charge of taking from contractors 5% sum of any given contract to help recover the cost of family properties sold to finance electoral campaigns
8. Presiding over Staffers whose sole job is to churn out fake stories – The President has Presidential Staffers whose job is to insult, develop fake stories and cause to publish and circulate same on social media and to among other things seek to tarnish the reputation of well-meaning persons and political opponents.

“Whoever promise and fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Writer: Koku Mawuli Nanegbe