A Deputy National Coordinator of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN), Comrade Karim Mumin, has disclosed that hate speech has become dominant in speeches by President Akufo-Addo when matters of the Volta region comes to play.

According to him, for the President to make reference to the votes he gets from the people at such crucial moment they are dealing with the devastation caused by flooding, “when they are supposed to be looking up to him as a father of the land is not only shameful and reckless but heartless and childish”.

He revealed that in the mind of the President, he is doing the people of Volta Region a favor by responding to their needs.

However, Mr Mumin reminded President Akufo-Addo that the people of Volta Region pay tax to run his government just as any other Ghanaian.

To this end, he noted that the President’s continuous efforts to segregate the country into NDC Ghana and NPP Ghana is most “unthinkable” of any President.

“Ghanaians have been saddled by yet another loose talk from H.E, President Nana Akuffo Addo when he was expected to be sympathizing with the people of Volta Region over the effects of spilling the Akosombo dam. Hate-speech has become characteristic of President Akuffo Addo anytime there is an issue affecting the people of Volta region…”
Comrade Karim Mumin

Recounting an incident, Mr Mumin stated that in November 2021, a similar disaster hit the people Ketu South and just when everyone expected the President to sympathize and support the people, he rather decided to undertake a one-week “European resting tour only to come back and insult the chiefs and people for asking him to help complete an abandoned E-Block started by HE John Dramani Mahama”.

“The young people of this country are worried over these corneous insults on the chiefs and people of the Volta Region.”
Comrade Karim Mumin

Akufo-Addo condemned over reckless comment

Furthermore, Mr Mumin emphasized the need for the President to be more circumspect in his utterances, especially when it comes to such sensitive matters.

“We see your comment as divisive and very dangerous for the smooth cohesion of this country and we demand that President Akuffo Addo must come out immediately to apologize to the chiefs and people of Volta Region and Ghanaians as a whole. We are calling on all right-thinking Ghanaians to join this call to save this country.”
Comrade Karim Mumin

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu North, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has condemned the comments made against the people of Volta region by the President.

She described the President’s comment as unfortunate, arguing that for a very long time, the people of the region had been neglected by President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.

The Ketu North legislator noted that President Akufo-Addo should not have made such a comment to people going through devastating disaster.

“His excellency the President should be ashamed of himself.”
Abla Dzifa Gomashie

She accused the President of neglecting the people of the Volta Region during disasters, pointing out that when parts of the region experienced a tidal wave disaster, neither the President nor his Vice made any comment on the matter or even visited the people.

Owing to this, Madam Gomashie iterated that the President should not have made that political comment during the meeting with people traumatized by the impact of floods. She insisted that this was the least thing the President could have said during his visit.