Commend President Akufo Addo For Continuing Projects Initiated By Various Governments

Trending in recent times on all mass media is the heated argument between the two main political parties in Ghana, the opposition NDC and the ruling NPP as to which political party should claim credit for some developmental projects in the country. The NDC especially has criticized the Akuffo Addo’s administration of not initiating a single project since it came to power on 7^th January, 2017 but only engaged in inaugurating and commissioning projects undertaken by the erstwhile Mahama administration.

The banter reared its ugly head when president Nana Addo cut a sod for work to begin on the construction of the second phase of the Kumasi Airport project. The minority lambasted him for taking such an action and stated that it was a needless venture that amounted to waste of time and scarce national resources. The airwaves of radio PAD, a community based radio station in Damongo, the district capital of the West Gonja district in the northern region for almost a week was full of discussions on rural electrification programme in the district as the two political giants in the constituency, lawyer Samuel Abu Jinapor, the deputy chief of staff and Mr. Adam Mutawakilu, the member of parliament for the Damongo constituency and the ranking member for the energy and mines committee of Ghana’s parliament and very eloquent and seasoned communicators of the NPP and NDC took turns to set the records straight on who is really behind the extension of electricity to some communities in the district.

The North Gonja district is not left off the hook as the aide of the District Chief Executive of the district, Mr. Adam Eliasu aka Red Bawa and some communicators of the NDC in the district took to several social media to press home their points as to which personality or political party best qualify to own the ongoing extension of electricity to some communities in the said district. On Saturday, 18^th August, 2018, the studios of Nkilgi Fm, a radio station based in Bole was heated as Mr. Augustine Jimah of the NDC and Mr. David Kipo Yeboah of the NPP fervently communicated for their respective political parties as being behind the construction of an 18 bed capacity polyclinic for the people of Bamobi. This battle for ownership of projects reached a crescendo when a bunch of hoodlums in Ajumako in the Central region of Ghana pelted stones at the health minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang Badu for the mere reason that he inaugurated the Ekumfi Narkwa polyclinic, a project to them was started by former president Mahama.

The questions I keep asking and not getting answers to is that is it wrong for the Akuffo Addo’s administration to continue projects initiated by his predecessor that was financed with the taxpayer’s money? Were the loans contracted for such projects in the name of the Government of Ghana or in former president Mahama’s personal name? What was the actual purpose behind those projects? Were they not initiated purposely to meet the genuine needs of the people or they were initiated for the sake of mere political jingoism?

The assertion of the NDC keeps surprising me. To me, they should rather commend the president for completing such projects and not abandoning them for the flimsy fact that they are projects initiated by former president Mahama. Realistically, his government has caught the eye of many people and has gained public trust and confidence for taking such initiative. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana under chapter six title THE DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY, precisely in article 35(7) states inter alia ’’As far as practicable, a government shall continue and execute projects and programmes commenced by the previous Government’’. The president cognizance of this constitutional enjoinment has always stated and shown his commitment not only in government but even in his days in opposition to continue projects initiated by his predecessor.

On Friday, October, 28, 2016, when Nana Akuffo Addo interacted with the Volta regional house of chiefs to end his 5 day tour of the Volta region as the Flagbearer of the NPP in the 2016 elections, he emphatically stated to continue with all projects started by previous government. Probably, the NDC wanted the Akuffo Addo’ s administration to follow a similar path they took during their tenure of office by abandoning fully funded projects initiated by the Kuffuor government. Classic projects like the Nationwide Affordable Housing Unit Project which was almost 85% complete when NPP lost the 2008 elections, the construction of 30 bed capacity health post which was started in 2007, the 8- lane Sofoline interchange from Abuakwa to Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital, the University of Ghana stadium, the Accra- Kumasi road etc were all halted by the NDC for the period they were in power.

Using the assertion of the NDC that it is wrong for the Akuffo Addo’s government to complete the projects started by the erstwhile Mahama administration as a litmus paper to test their veracity in politics, one will have no option than to conclude that they are political hypocrites and behaving like a toddler whose doll has been taken away from him or her. In 2004, the NDC MPs by then in opposition walked out of parliament to register their displeasure against the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme but immediately sacked the Chief Executive Officer and all workers at the national, regional and district offices of the scheme and replaced them with hardcore supporters of the NDC. Did they discontinue it? In fact, in the run up to the 2008 elections, Ghanaians were even deceived with a promise of one life time premium of health insurance.

Similarly, after chastising former president Kuffuor for implementing other social interventions such as the School Feeding Programme, National Youth Employment Programme, Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty(LEAP), etc. they took a u turn to take charge of all these interventions. Every worker under NYEP was sacked, all caterers of the school feeding programme were sacked and refused them what the money due them and all beneficiaries of LEAP were taken off and replaced with faithfuls of the NDC. The Capitation grant was an initiative of president Kuffuor but was continued by successive governments. For the almost 20years rule of the PNDC/NDC, Ghana was unable to discover oil in commercial quantity. It took the efforts of the Kuffour government to discover oil in commercial quantity in 2007 and lost power in 2008. Wearing safety gear and blue overalls, President Atta Mills in 2010 opened the valve in a televised ceremony some 60km off the coast from the town of Takoradi to launch the drilling and exploration of the oil discovered in 2007 by the Kuffuor administration.

The Tamale Campus and the Central administration of the University for Development Studies at Dungu, a suburb of Tamale was initiated by the Kuffour administration and was almost 90% complete before he left office in 2008. President Atta Mills only came in to commission it. The George Walker Bush road in Accra was an initiative of president Kuffuor but was commissioned by President Mills. In sum, Akuffo Addo is worth commendation for not being political by abandoning projects started by his predecessor. Governance is a continuum and there is no need starting a project of same kind which is yet to be completed. It amounts to waste of the scarce resources of the nation.

IDDI ADAM OSMAN
0249230125
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