Gabby Asare-Otchere Darko

“Trust Nana, he may be unusually ambitious but he usually puts his mouth where his ambition is,” is the response that Journalist and lawyer, Gabby Asare-Otchere Darko, has for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The former Editor-in-Chief of the Statesman newspaper in a social media post, poked at the NDC for suggesting President Nana Akufo-Addo’s pledge to deliver 88 hospitals in a year is a hoax.

Some senior members of the opposition have joked about the pledge claiming no money has been budgeted for the health sector in 2020 to allow the President to construct 88 hospitals in eight months.

Gabby, however, argued there was no COVID-19 when government’s budget was read to Parliament last year; and the 50% electricity subsidy and the 100% free water were also not budgeted but these are happening to today.

He said, “When Akufo-Addo’s Cabinet sat until 2am last Thursday they didn’t do that to drink tea and chew cream crackers.”
“They were dissecting every aspect of this most ambitious health infrastructure programme ever to be rolled out since Independence.”

The NDC, he said, should therefore not rush to December 7 because details of these hospital projects will be made public for scrutiny and action.

Read the full text of the post below:

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko writes:

I’ve heard some senior NDC politicians making jokes that there is simply no money budgeted for health in 2020 to allow the President to deliver 88 hospitals.

Well, there wasn’t COVID-19 when the budget was made. There wasn’t any 50% subsidy for electricity and 100% free water in the budget but that and many more are happening.

The same way, before COVID-19, there was no budget for collapsed banks, savings & loans, etc and yet this government found the money.

When Akufo-Addo’s Cabinet sat until 2am last Thursday they didn’t do that to drink tea and chew cream crackers.
They were dissecting every aspect of this most ambitious health infrastructure programme ever to be rolled out since Independence.

Please tell the NDC to have patience; they must be in no rush to Dec 7. The President said the details of the hospital projects will be made transparent and open to public scrutiny and action.

Trust Nana, he may be unusually ambitious but he usually puts his mouth where his ambition is.