Security Of Nation Will Be Given Priority - Akufo-Addo

The flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Danwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that under his presidency, priority would be given to the security of the nation and its citizens.

He said this when he addressed the New York and New Jersey branches of the NPP in Jersey City as part of his tour of USA.

"I am opposed to the traditional ways of resource allocation in Ghana where we look at the overall national budget available to us and divide it piecemeal among all ministries, agencies and departments,” he stated.

Nana Akufo-Addo hinted that he would give greater priority to ministries that were critical to the survival of the nation, mentioning the Interior Ministry as one of them.

He said the NPP government had transformed the image of the Ghana Police Service tremendously.

According to him, when the NPP government came into office, there were just about 100 serviceable vehicles available to the Ghana Police Service of which about a third were at the headquarters.

“Under those circumstances, it was quite hazardous for the police to perform its duties,” he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said presently, the NPP had increased the number of vehicles available to the Ghana Police Service to 1,000.

He stated that since the number of vehicles was not enough for the service, his administration would allocate more resources to that critical area of national development.

The presidential aspirant of the NPP was addressing the security concerns of Ghanaians there, and other questions on investment and property should they answer his call to come home and help in the forward movement of the country.

Touching on the number of police personnel, Nana Akufo-Addo said when the NPP resumed office, there were about 15,000 policemen and women but the NPP government had increased the number to 25,000.

He argued that the number was woefully inadequate considering the ratio of Ghanaians to the number of policemen.

"We shall have to increase the number of police personnel tremendously if the service is to make any meaningful impact as far as the security of the nation and its citizens is concerned", he said and added that “community policing is one area that we shall consider improving, as a way of giving critical support to regular policing.”

Nana Akufo-Addo said he was determined to give critical support to areas of national life that would give Ghanaians a sense of hope and security.

He said unless that was done, it would be difficult to rekindle the spirit of patriotism in the people though he believed that was critical in the next stage of Ghana's development “if we are to make the leap from third world to first world status”.

"I reject the mediocre projection of a middle-income status. We are capable of moving from third world status to first world status. Others have done it and we are capable of doing it", he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said in seeking to galvanise Ghanaians for this mission, there would not be separate rules for sections of the society while some so-called elite or privileged class operated under different sets of rules.

"We are committed to creating a society that is just, humane and equitable", he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said he was a leader who was neither looking for fame nor riches. "God willing, my family has both of these" he said.

"I am in this because I have a genuine commitment to the development of our country, where we shall become a 21st century country in the true sense of the word".

Before the New Jersey address, Nana Akufo-Addo had addressed a dinner dance organised by the Ghanaian community in New York and New Jersey at the Pennsylvania Hotel at the Madison Square Gardens on Sunday.

He also met with Ghanaian professionals and assured them that everything was going to be done under his presidency to make it easy for them to come home and contribute to the development of the nation.

Nana Akufo-Addo is accompanied by the General Secretary of the party, Nana Ohene-Ntow; Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo and Dr K.K. Apraku, both Members of Parliament (MPs) and other officials of his campaign team.