General News of Wednesday, 14 August 2019
Source: classfmonline.com
2019-08-14
Former Minister of Communication, Edward Omane Boamah
A former Minister of Communication in the Mahama administration, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of doing little to solve the myriad challenges facing Ghanaians despite the promises he made to the citizenry in the build-up to the 2016 elections.
In an open letter to the President, Dr Omane Boamah said although Nana Akufo-Addo inherited a lot of funds, he is unable to fulfill his campaign promises.
The former minister said if the President will listen to Ghanaians in general, he would know that “the verdict is unanimous” – “Ghana is moving in the wrong direction and there is too much hardship on the land.”
The letter read: “Dear President Akufo-Addo, Ghanaians are suffering excruciating hardships and need relief. You have increased fuel prices more than 22 times since you became President.
“As President, prices of goods and services are skyrocketing without a definite response and as for corruption its new synonym is PDS. Instead of addressing these genuine concerns, with less than five months into your last year in office, you’re on a renaming spree because you are in a hurry to appease your political ancestors and placate your base. This is a misplaced priority. But your renaming strategy has widely exposed your inability to build anything significant under your watch notwithstanding the unprecedented over GHS80 billion you have borrowed so far.
“GHS80 billion constitutes 40% of Ghana’s total debt since independence. Nana, you have been lucky, very, very lucky to have inherited three well-functioning oil blocks from President John Dramani Mahama. As a result of your predecessors’ hard work, whereas John Mahama had 70,000 barrels of crude oil daily, you are reaping 170,000 barrels of crude oil every passing day. This is 100,000 more barrels of crude oil every day. How fortunate you are? Yet, you’re not grateful to God and country.
“These 170,000 barrels of crude oil every day has translated into a whopping GHS6.8 billion revenue between January, 2017 to December 2018. I have not added 2019 oil revenue yet. Mr. President, GHS6.8 billion from oil revenue alone could have paid your total free SHS expenditure for 2017, 2018 and 2019 which is GHS3.2 billion according to your own budget statements read by minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
“It is worth emphasising that the GHS6.8 billion having paid all free SHS expenditure will leave you with a balance of GHS3.6 billion. The balance of GHS3.6 billion could have built 450, Community Day Senior High Schools which would have avoided the obnoxious ‘Double Track System’ which President Mahama has promised to stop in 2021. This means you would have over-fulfilled your promise ‘of building 350 Senior High Schools across the country in 18 months.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI95nSBZBU4.
“What happened to this promise and why are students still suffering under the Double Track system? Alternatively, the balance of GHS3.6 billion could also build 14,400 dams at the cost of GHS250, 000 that your minister has suggested. But need one spend time on only GHS3.6 billion balance? No! This is because you’re yet to show any significant development with the over GHS80 billion which you have borrowed. As earlier indicated, this accounts for over 40% of Ghana’s debt since independence.
“Mr. President, you have been given so much yet have done so little. As a citizen, not a spectator, I suggest you re-assess the promises that brought you into office. It is also important that you pause and listen to the forces that aligned to catapult your promises towards election 2016. They’re confessing their gross disappointment in your leadership. Furthermore, if you will, listen to Ghanaians in general. The verdict is unanimous, Ghana is moving in the wrong direction and there is too much hardship on the land. Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President…
Yours Citizen-Not-Spectator, Dr. Omane Boamah”.
14th August, 2019
