A Warning Hint to President Nana Akufo-Addo

I had a plan to write about how Ghana has become a nation teeming with complete jokers worshipping and kowtowing to criminals and embezzlers of public funds and State assets while expecting everything to be delivered to them free of charge. However, while scrolling through my WhatsApp wall this morning, I came across a video forwarded to me by one of my contacts, Kingsley, which has changed my plan for today.

It is not that I don't stick to my plans but being pragmatic and ever ready to assist my country and fellow Ghanaian compatriots to achieve the best of their dreams as possibly as they genuinely can, I have decided to give a priority to the content of the video which is hereby reproduced.

I had not long ago published an article advising the president to be wary of how he is lackadaisically going about dealing with official corruption in Ghana. I cited a bible verse to make him aware of, and the dangers of, how it is very wrong to put new wine into old wineskins. This analogy was to home in to him how he is totally wrong to leave it completely to our old known corrupt judicial procedural system to deal with corruption cases investigated by the Special Prosecutor, and allegedly being sabotaged by the Attorney General, to curtail or eradicate official corruption from Ghana.

Corruption as perpetrated and perpetuated by those in government and civil service personnel is the bane of Ghana's socio-economic development, culminating in the lack of respect for the African by our White contemporaries. The money to be used by the government to carry out development projects, create jobs for the people, to better the collective living standards of the people ends up being embezzled by a few insatiably greedy inward-looking officials to result in the total deprivation of basic needs to the majority of the ordinary citizens.

Therefore, many a Ghanaian was extremely happy to campaign and vote for then presidential-candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, knowing his track record of a strict no-nonsense person who has aversion to corruption. But what are we seeing now after all the excitement about creating the Office of the Special Prosecutor to take official corruption on without mercy? No decisive action! The usual merry-go-round talk, talk. Nonetheless, I expect him to walk the talk!

While in Ghana on holiday in February-March 2019, I had the opportunity to interact with some undergraduates who feel so let down, thus, deceived, by the president for failing to deal with corruption according as he promised. They rather see corruption as continuing to fester under his very watch due to his deliberate or otherwise inability to fight it. Subsequently, they had decided not to go to the polls come election 2020.

Was it not these same students that campaigned and voted massively to bring Nana Addo and NPP to power in December 2016? If they fail to campaign and vote for them, what will be the results? Will the president and NPP not be hurled into opposition, only to be mocked by their bitter political rivals and discerning Ghanaians?

Now, the Free Senior High School education cannot be a laurel to rest on to win election 2020 by the NPP according to the contents of the video as expressed by the interviewees. All those that spoke in the video will surely vote against NPP to usher back in John Dramani Mahama and his brigands of the Ghanaian version of the "Arabian Ali Baba and his forty thieves" to come to complete their uncompleted job of wiping the nation's coffers clean of every pesewa. Do Ghanaians care about bringing back the most personally-corrupt president in the political history of Ghana? No, I don't think they care, going by the views expressed in the video.

The president had better change gears to listen to the citizens rather than to obstinately continue in the direction he is heading, leaving things to the corrupt judges who deliberately or not, continue to postpone cases without seriously hearing and ruling on them.

For almost three years of NPP being in power, they have not been able to successfully prosecute a single annoying housefly let alone, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the historic Ghanaian swindler of the 21st Century Ghana, and Sexy Dondon, the murderer of Member of Parliament, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu.

It does not belong to he who is leading to redirect their steps. Additionally, the enemy of a person is from within his own household, if not himself. This is the advice I leave for President Nana Akufo-Addo.

I have an obligation to advise the president to succeed since I canvassed for votes for him during campaign 2016. If he fails, I will have failed Ghanaians who voted for him through me.

Back to the students, they centred their grievances on two issues. The president promised to create jobs for the masses and also to prosecute corrupt officials but they don't see them happening. Should the president seriously begin to prosecute the corrupt officials, it will be a credit in his cap to winning back the confidence of the disenchanted voters. Should he fail to do that but allow the Attorney General to sabotage the Special Prosecutor by not facilitating his job, providing his office with the needed funds, etc., then the president has himself to blame.

A woman in the video claims she still pays canteen money in the Free Senior High School. Is it true? I thought they are enjoying everything free of charge – free boarding and lodging. Ghanaians don't want to contribute even a little. Let them come to the Whiteman's countries to see how we are paying for everything. The only difference is, their leaders don't steal the money as done in Africa but use it to develop their countries.

"When it is coming, it is doing" (Ereba a na eye) as some people use to joke about.

A word to the president and the NPP, is sufficient!

Rockson Adofo

Sunday, 20 October 2019