Dr. Lawrence writes: The legacies of Nana Akufo-Addo
9th November 2020
Every President and every government try hard to leave lasting legacies for the next generation to enjoy. It could be negative or positive legacies depending on how one looks at it. I am going to write about the general legacies Nana Addo will leave behind come January 7, 2021
The first legacy Nana Addo will leave behind is corruption. Nana Addo has made corruption an institution in Ghana now. We are 30 days into a election but there is no mention of “we have fought corruption” Because of the government of Nana Addo, corruption will no longer be a campaign tool in Ghana politics. It has come to live with us. They did absolutely nothing to fight against corruption.
The second legacy of Nana Addo is Borrowings. In the past, we used to say that the government has borrowed too much. That was if a government borrowed over GHC 40billion. Under Nana Addo, they have borrowed over GHC 140billion but they don’t care. So borrowing has become very attractive in Ghana now. Under Nana Addo, the talk against borrowing has been eliminated from Ghanaian politics.
The third legacy of Nana Addo is Nepotism and cronyism. Nana Addo in 2016 campaigned against John Mahama because he had one member of his family in his government. Today, Nana Addo has about 20 family members and 50 friends in his government. Nana Addo’s government is what we call a “Family and Friends” government. Has Nana Addo helped to build a nation or he came to destroy it? Have we come or did we go under Nana Addo?
The forth legacy of Nana Addo is working with an unprecedented 125 Ministers. The last time Nana Addo campaigned against a large-sized government, John Mahama was working with 84 Ministers. Nana Addo complained that it was bigger than Accra kenkey.
The fifth legacy Nana Addo will leave behind on January 7, 2021 is the politics of the cedi depreciation and the increases in fuel prices. Dr. Bawumiah told us in 2016 that, when your economy is weak, the exchange rate will expose you. That was when the cedi was GHC 3.8 to a dollar. Today, the cedi is GHC6.1 to a dollar but that same Dr. Bawumiah is telling us the fact that our cedi is depreciating does not mean our economy is weak. Hmmmmm.
Meanwhile, these same Nana Addo and the NPP campaigned against all these legacies in 2016. So, it is either they lied to you or they deceived you for your vote. You didn’t know they are such criminals and Sakawa. Your vote on December 7 is your power. Let them know that you are disappointed that they lied to you. Vote them out. A vote for John Mahama, number 2 on the ballot, is a vote to reverse all these negative legacies of Nana Akufo Addo and his Sakawa boys.
Aba no, Mahama afa.
Dr. Lawrence is the Founder of the Diaspora Progressive Movement in USA.