Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu has indicated that, they will probe how the government used the funds it secured to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the Minority leader, monies allocated for covid-19 to protect lives and public health, were used for political purposes and to solicit votes from the electorate in the just-ended election.
“We will be investigating the money they spent on election instead of spending it on COVID to protect lives and public health.”
His comment comes on the back of the State of the Nation Address by the President in Parliament on Tuesday where he posited that the monies were being shared for campaign purposes.
“They didn’t spend the COVID money on public health they were dishing it around and sharing it to men and women across the country to get votes.”
The Minority leader insisted that the President has squandered public funds in such a way that undermines the democratic process.
“One of the most dangerous things Nana Addo has done to our democracy is the huge dosage of money used in this election, going forward that would undermine the integrity of any democratic process.”
He added that sharing of money at polling stations to influence voters does not guarantee democracy.
“It has never ever happened even at polling stations people sharing money and putting monies in masks for voters and you think that that gives you a democracy, I’m sorry.”
Also commenting on the state of the economy as addressed by the President, he intimated that, the economy under the Akufo-Addo administration is in deep downturn.
He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo failed to appreciate this when he delivered his State of the Nation Address in Parliament.
The Tamale South Member of Parliament said that his only disappointment was that, the president failed to share with the nation that the economy is in a deep recession.
“The economy, from the IMF sources, will end at a debt of GHS297 billion with GHS24billion being spent on debt service not including amortization and payment of principals.
“Probably, he doesn’t travel outside Accra lately because my mother told me that for the first time in twenty years, she is buying a bag of corn over GHS200 and now even prefers to buy rice for funeral than to the traditional corn that we use. So, the president must appreciate that there is real suffering on the grounds by the ordinary Ghanaians.”
In his address, President Akufo-Addo told the House that his government has stabilized the economy.
He said his government, in four years has recorded a number of significant milestones in its quest to formalize and modernize the Ghanaian economy.
“We believe it is the fairest and fastest way to achieve our goals. The National Identity Card rollout, the National Digital Property Addressing System, the interoperability of mobile money transactions, the introduction of the paperless operations at the port, e-business registration system, and access to digital financial services are all part of the drive to formalize our economy, and enhance its productivity.”
