The Managing Director of the Intercity STC Coaches Limited has stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s determined fight against corruption is what has settled debate on the canker.
According to him, corruption is not an issue in this year’s election not because it has been obscured by the government but because it is no longer a big issue to Ghanaians as it was some years back.
He noted that to even express the sentiment of someone doing something to obscure the corruption debate portrays the Ghanaian electorate as ignorant.
Speaking on The Key Points last Saturday, TV3’s weekend analytical show Nana Akomea argued that today Ghanaians are not talking about corruption because it is not a big issue to them now.
“To the extent that they were discussing corruption in the years before the New Patriotic Party (NPP) came to power meant corruption was a big issue then and at the forefront of the minds of the people of this country but not anymore.”
“So it is not that anybody is manipulating free SHS to obscure the message on corruption. It is because it is no longer a big issue as it used to be in the past because of the conduct of this President and his government,” he said.
Nana Akomea averred that the tag being foisted on President Nana Akufo-Addo by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as clearing agent is ridiculous because the President has demonstrated his abhorrence for corruption.
He stated that there could be disagreement with the methods he uses to fight corruption but stressed the President really took action in all the alleged corruption cases that have come up under his administration.
He said. “Look at what happened with the Public Procurement Authority (PPA). When the investigation came out, the President took action and referred the matter to CHRAJ and there is a closure on the matter. What is left with now is prosecution.”
“What about the PDS that the NDC loves to tag as evidence of corruption against President Akufo-Addo? It was he who put his foot down and cancelled the PDS against the wishes of the Americans and in the event we even lost some money the Americans were going to give to us.”
“The President said no, I don’t think this deal is in the general interest of the Ghanaian people and he cancelled it,” he added.
According to the former Okaikoi South MP, the Agyapa Royaltiesj transaction, which is anothern favourite of the NDC, was dealt with clinically by President Akufo-Addo whenj he referred it to the Special Prosecutor (SP) to look into.
He stated that when the SP indicated in his report that there is a risk of corruption if the deal is implemented in its current form, the President tasked the Finance Minister to send it back to Parliament where all the political parties have representatives.
“So you can see the concrete actions that the President took.”
“Even the appointment of the Special Prosecutor, setting up the office and the work that went into the appointment of Martin Amidu who at the time had credentials that nobody would deny as the Special Prosecutor was a major achievement,” he stated.
Nana Akomea indicated that he could understand people making claims there are many people with family connections to the President being given appointments.
He argued, however, that these are qualified people who have been appointed and gone through the correct procedures with some going through Parliamentary vetting for the jobs they hold.
He stressed that they are working for the state and legitimately earning their salaries just like the rest of Ghanaian workers.
The STC Boss contrasted this to the situation where under the supervision of President John Dramani Mahama, 60% of the country’s bauxite deposit, he said, was signed off to the President’s brother while another brother was used as a conduit to ferry a bribe of US$5 million into the country because of family connections.
“Contrast these to a person working hard and earning money legitimately,” he said.
