Some NPP activists say my comments on the Akufo-Addo government are baseless. They are not! In November 2016, I wrote an article in which I said any idiot could use our money to build infrastructure and boast about that.
I did not see what Mahama had done as exceptional. In the same way, any idiot can use our money to pay school fees for SHS students. One does not need to be a genius to do that. The opportunity cost of John Mahama's infrastructure could have been the payment of fees.
It's just a matter of priority. My argument was, and still is, that there's more to leadership than using the tax payer's money to do things and boast.
The main problem with our country and continent is wastage resulting from greed and corruption. And that's why I was hopeful that an "incorruptible" and "no-nonsense" Akufo-Addo was the Messiah Ghanaians needed in the post-Mahama era to restore hope and decency into our national life.
That's why after two and a half years into Akufo-Addo's presidency, I hold the view that we bought nicely packaged key soap at Circle, thinking it was a smartphone.
There's a lot to say, but let me give you just one simple example, which I think after reading, you will be left with no doubt that even Nana Akufo-Addo's wife would choose Mr. John Mahama over her husband in how the two have dealt with the same scandal.
In 2013 I investigated the GYEEDA Corruption Scandal. The government and the private sector were stealing our money through fraudulent contracts. For four years, the NPP used my GYEEDA investigation as a basis to call John Mahama corrupt. John Mahama took some actions, but they were not enough. In March 2016, when Nana Akufo-Addo presented his version of the state of the nation address, this was what he said of Mahama's action on GYEEDA and other scandals: “It is clear from the actions taken on cases like judgement debts, the World Cup saga, GYEEDA, SADA, the DVLA saga, the Metro Mass branding, etc. that the fight against corruption is a sham. I say again, the so-called fight against corruption is a sham.”
Here is what John Mahama did on the GYEEDA Scandal
1. He caused a committee to be set up to probe further.
2. John Mahama cancelled all the GYEEDA contracts, except the Zoomlion Contract. The contracts were fraudulent in nature, and the Zoomlion contract was the worst.
3. Mahama drafted a bill and passed the Youth Employment Agency Act.
4. Mahama retrieved over GHc60 million from Roland Agambire's companies.
5. Mahama prosecuted and jailed two people, one being the NDC's Abuga Pele, former NDC MP.
6. Roland Agambire's rLG and other companies collapsed because of the actions taken by John Mahama's government.
7. GYEEDA saw some reforms after the passage of the GYEEDA Bill into law.
8. Mahama did not award any of the companies a contract in GYEEDA.
Did I agree with Akufo-Addo that Mahama's handling of GYEEDA was a sham? Yes. The big culprits were left off the hook. Abuga Pele and Philip Assibit were scapegoats, the fingerlings in the scandal. There were hundreds of millions of cedis that were not retrieved from Zoomlion, Better Ghana, and rLG. Mahama still kept the Zoomlion contract. This contract allowed the government to pay 500 cedis to Zoomlion per sweeper a month, but Zoomlion paid the sweepers 100 cedis and kept the rest as management fees. Zoomlion claimed there were 45,000 sweepers so every month, Zoomlion was paid 18 million cedis as management fees. This contract expired in February 2013, and between 2013 and 2019, there is no written agreement between Zoomlion and the government but we pay 270 million cedis to Zoomlion a year.
On November 16, 2016, three weeks to the 2016 election, the NPP held a press conference and accused John Mahama and Zoomlion of perpetuating fraud against the people of Ghana based on this GYEEDA contract to Zoomlion, which Mahama did not cancel. The NPP said John Mahama could not cancel the Zoomlion contract and other such fraudulent contracts because he (John Mahama) was benefitting directly from the theft.
Three weeks after that press conference Ghanaians voted massively for Nana Akufo-Addo. What did Akufo-Addo do about the "fraudulent GYEEDA" contract to Zoomlion?
Nana Akufo-Addo paid a visit to the man whom he and his opposition NPP had accused of defrauding Ghanaians. He encouraged Joseph Siaw Agyepong of Zoomlion to keep up with his good works. “When you are at the forefront of doing things like you are, you will be the subject of controversy. It goes with the territory. I know you a little bit, and I know you are capable of handling it. Stay focused,” President Akufo-Addo told the Zoomlion CEO.
Akufo-Addo has extended that contract twice. The assemblies have been screaming to the central government to allow them to supervise the sweepers. This would optimise the service provided by the sweepers of the YEA and save the government management fees paid to contractors. But the incorruptible Akufo-Addo and the protector of our purse won't hear any of that.
But what has changed? Why would a businessman be fraudulent when you are in opposition, but when you're in government, he is a hard-working entrepreneur who needs encouragement? Why would an act of corruption under Mahama become mere "controversy" which comes with being at the forefront of doing things? So if Mahama could not cancel the Zoomlion contract because he was benefitting directly from the theft, why did Nana Akufo-Addo not cancel it when he took over from Mahama? Is he benefiting directly from the theft?
If you look at the actions of Mahama and the Nana Akufo-Addo on the GYEEDA scandal so far, which of these two presidents do you think Akufo-Addo's wife would choose as having acted better in the interest of Ghana?
Source: Manasseh Azure Awuni/facebook
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Thanks IKE, you've said it all God bless you.
Waste of time. Have you apologized for that ***barred word*** castle piece. The earlier joy fm disociate themselves from you the better. Shame.
Some of the comments is a perfect picture of how politics have destroyed Ghana. I read his articles when NPP was in opposition and the glowing remarks the NPP supporters gave and insults NDC supporters rain on him. Today the same situation but the players have changed jerseys. The next generation will curse the current generation. We speak with our political party emotions and forgotten discerning review of the articles that questions our political affiliation. No one thought CPP will collapse but it did. In the next generation, our children will define which party to support not because we told to but because of what the party has done. God bless you Author and God bless Ghana.
Oh Mr. Azure, why do you keep exposing yourself as a hater of Jospong. I thought you had learned some lessons after people gave you real bashing for not being able to criticize you mentor Pastor Otabil when his financial malfeasance came to light. Why didn't you mention Pastor Otabil's case as one of the cases that Nana Addo's gov't is delaying in prosecuting? that would have shown that you are bold and fair. Do you see how difficult it is to hit hard at people you respect and admire? Until you are able to hit hard Pastor Otabil the way you've have been hitting others, I will continue to see you as any normal journalist with his own personal seeking his personal interest and not that of Ghana. I have no problem if you a bias journalist. My biggest problem with you is when you try to pontificate as an objective and a fair person when you are not close to that at all. Please don't waste our ears with your self righteousness.
U have on several occassions failed on your own joyfm network to substantiate your issues against zoomlion .......Talk is cheap like u do always ......I have my own reservations about jospong group but truth be told ;The man is thinking outside the box to use his own business models to creat jobs and on top solve serious and pressing national issues affecting Ghana. After reading your comments on Whether to vote in 2020, I just concluded you are not a serious journalist after all......
That was a good piece and a lot of questions need to be answered by the Govt. Would you please cut out the "incomions" and go straight at it. The 1st Lady bit taste sour. Your crusade is valid. Please simple language.
Please don't bring our hardworking caring First Lady's name into your agenda, give her the due respect and the dignity she deserves. Why didn't you say your wife or mother instead.
Mr. Azure, now you've exposed yourself as the surrogate of NDC propaganda. Now the whole nation has seen that you had an agenda to work for NDC when you did the so-called 'EXPOSE' of the Osu Castle Vigilante film which tried to tie the govt behind vigilantism at the presidency. Shame on you, Azure!!! You've let yourself out of the bag BIG TIME. Don't start telling lies again that the govt is hunting you so you're 'running away to SA'. That was another lie, you were afraid of your own shadow. SHAME AZURE is your new name.
Akuffo Addo is the father of all"LIES"just like his DADDY satan and grandpa lucifer.
Akufo Addo will not be in power forever. I wonder what this former fine journalist will do then. What a waste.