The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bolgatanga Central Constituency in the Upper East Region, has rejected the claim by President Nana Akufo-Addo, that his government has built more roads than any other government in the Fourth Republic.
According to Mr. Isaac Adongo, the President’s claim in his state of the nations address to parliament, is not a true reflection on the ground. “If the president’s claim were true, why did Members of Parliament on both sides of the house keep asking the sector minister about the state of their roads?”, he argued.
Mr. Adongo, said MPs keep lobbying for roads because the roads have not been done, in sharp contrast to the assertion of the President. He said MPs keep piling up questions for the Minister of roads, every day because their roads have not been done.
According to him, the Sector Minister is dragged to the floor every Friday to answer questions about roads in many constituencies. “Many of these MPs have not had their roads built, since this government assumed office”, Mr. Adongo said.
“While the MPs are complaining about the state of their roads, contractors are also complaining about not being paid for done work. Everywhere in the world, the capital investment reflects on the economy but what is the reflection of the President’s claims on the economy today?”
Isaac Adongo
In his address, the president said a large amount of the money that the country borrows, goes into road construction, and the subject of roads also constitutes a large number of questions that arise in the House of Legislature.
“As I go around the country, I hear the pleas for roads, schools, hospitals, and, as the rainy season comes, I wish, as every other Ghanaian does, that we would have built more drains than we have. And I wish we had the resources to do more.
“I am proud of the amount of work that we have done, especially in the road sector. Mr. Speaker, I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the 4th Republic, and Mr. Speaker, the details of all these roads are attached in the annex to this Message.”
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
The President, further noted that he had to make details of the roads his government has worked on so far, available for evidence’s sake.
Ghana Is A Bankrupt Nation
The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, says President Akufo-Addo is living in a bubble. According to him, President Akufo-Addo failed to deliver the true state of the nation during the 2023 State of the Nation Address on Wednesday, March 8.
An unimpressed Mr. Gyamfi, said this is not the time for flurry speeches. The NDC scribe, insists the current economic turmoil requires a sober assessment and not arrogance, which he said is an insult to Ghanaians.
“The statement of the nation the President delivered yesterday, does not reflect the true state of the country but rather it is the figment of the imagination of a President, who has lost touch with reality. When I was listening to President Akufo-Addo, it was very clear to me that this is a President who is so far removed from the realities confronting the country. He is totally lost in a jungle and he does not understand and appreciate what he spoke about.
“We as Ghanaians, know the true state of our country better than anybody and we know that as we speak, the true state of our country is that of a bankrupt nation… Simple! Ghana is a bankrupt nation that has defaulted on its debt obligations. A bankrupt nation that has been downgraded to below junk status and locked out of the international capital market.”
Sammy Gyamfi
Meanwhile, some New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament (MPs), have hailed the President for his presentation. For instance, Nhyiaeso MP, Dr. Stephen Amoah, said President Akufo-Addo demonstrated empathy and humility during his State of the Nation Address. According to him, the President’s empathy and humility was a signal for Parliament to unite and work together to support the country’s economic recovery tangent.
“The President demonstrated empathy because it wasn’t something that he was like, ‘o Ghana I’ve done everything, why are you complaining?’ no, he was very humble. It was indicative of the fact that he combined humility and respect and empathy that was the first thing and it was a sign to unify us as a house.”
Dr. Stephen Amoah
President Akufo-Addo delivered his State of the Nation Address Wednesday, March 8 on the floor of parliament, where he addressed chiefly the economic challenges that have afflicted the country, post-Covid-19. However, his address has been described by some in the Minority as falsehood and laughable. They claim the President’s presentation on the state of the economy; government’s debt problem and the Covid-19 expenditure are a misrepresentation of the true facts on the ground.
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