Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Murtala Muhammed, has revealed that the government’s flagship program, ‘One District, On Factory’ (1D1F), is not serving the purpose for which it was instituted.

According to him, President Akufo-Addo has not been candid with Ghanaians when it comes to some critical aspects of the economy.

Mr Muhammed indicated that the 1D1F is supposed to grow the economy, and once the economy grows and expands, jobs will be created. However, he noted that the current government has instead taken unemployment level from 6.8% under the presidency of John Mahama to 17.4%, despite the espoused benefits of the 1D1F to the country.

“The 1D1F is not serving the purpose for which it was instituted in the first place because it is filled with corruption and incoherent policy implementation and that is the reason why unemployment is rising. You don’t need an economist to tell you that when you industrialize, the economy grows and once it grows, jobs are created. So, if you claim that 1D1F is expanding the economy and jobs are not created. It means that particular intervention, there’s a problem with it… “
Murtala Muhammed

Justifying his stance, Mr Muhammed stated that in the past government, a little over $500 million was spent importing rice and poultry products into the country, but today, the Akufo-Addo government is spending over $2 billion. In light of this, he noted that the transition of inflation from 17% under the previous government to over 54% now only tells the “pack of lies” President Akufo-Addo is peddling.

“… The President owes us a duty and a responsibility to tell us the true state of this country… I am scandalized. I thought it was just ordinary Ghanaians who were hoodwinked into believing the pack of lies the President peddled in the August House of parliament. The State of the Nation address is in the 1992 constitution, Article 67, that the President is enjoined to tell the people of this country, the state of this country at the beginning of every parliamentary session and at the end of the session.”
Murtala Muhammed

Government’s spending in the country

The Tamale Central legislator expressed that the President should have address the people of this country aptly at the State of the Nation Address to help the citizens plan in terms of their finances, security, among others. Owing to this, he stated that the President must tell them the true state of the country, regardless of how “bitter that state is”.

“The President was outrightly lying to the people of this country. The President says, don’t blame me, I came and met debt. Isn’t this a lie? You came and met a debt of GHC120 billion… President Mahama came and met a debt a little over GHC80 billion and by the time President Mahama left office, he left a debt of a little over GHC120 billion. You took it now and we are getting to GHC600 billion, and you have the audacity without any shame to look into our faces and tell us the problem I had is I came and met debt. You have borrowed close to GHC500 billion…”
Murtala Muhammed

Commenting on the controversial COVID audit report, Mr Muhammed expressed surprise that the President saw nothing wrong with how COVID funds were managed. He noted that for the President to suggest that there was nothing untoward as far as the management of COVID funds was concerned, especially when the Auditor General, has indicated palpably, how monies of COVID funds were misappropriated, is another lie from him.