The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Richard Ahiagbah, has stated that the President did not allude to some major issues such as unemployment, corruption, illegal mining (galamsey), and the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillages during his State of the Nation Address because the President cannot necessarily mention everything.
He noted that every issue, even if minute, concerning the country’s welfare, is important. However, he argued that it would be impractical to mention everything given the time frame of the address.
Concerning the Volta River Authority (VRA) flood victims of Mepe, Mr. Richard Ahiagbah indicated that the President showed enough commitment through his visit to the people after the flood and making provision for a sum of GH₵ 220 million to be allocated for the resettlement of the flood victims.
“It is a limited time to give an address. So it’s an overview that…touches on the key issues and makes a very significant statement about where we are, and what we are doing to bring the economy back. I think that we should focus on what is in it [the address] and what we can derive from it as a country going forward and analyze those rather than focusing on what is not in it”.
Mr. Richard Ahiagbah
Accordingly, Mr. Richard Ahiagbah indicated that talking about what the President’s address omitted would be a mere speculation. He emphasized that the comment made by Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that the President seems to care more about some Ghanaians than others is divisive and should be paid no heed to.
He stated that contrary to the belief of Prof. Godfred Bokpin that pride prevented the government from engaging the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at an early stage, the government’s decision was based on the belief that Ghana could solve its internal problems without external assistance.
Defending the government’s decision not to seek the IMF’s assistance, Mr. Richard Ahiagbah stated that the decision was a progressive attempt at being self-reliant.
He emphasized that the capability of the government to be self-sufficient was dependent on the success of the E-levy policy which was hugely kicked against by the minority in parliament at its initial stage.
He further indicated that the controversy surrounding the E-levy and the delay in its implementation necessitated the government’s engagement with the IMF for assistance.
“The first three years of this government was very successful…the lowest inflation in the fourth republic about 7.6% was recorded. Everything went out of alignment with the happening of COVID-19 exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war”.
Mr. Richard Ahiagbah
Government Admits To Its Failure
Consequently, the Director of Communications for the NPP stated that conclusions can be drawn about the government’s ability or otherwise inability to manage the economy. However, he indicated these conclusions would be incomplete without factoring in the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia- Ukraine war.
He emphasized that the President took full responsibility for the government’s inability to solve Ghana’s economic challenges during his address when he admitted that “we stumbled”.
Moreover, Mr. Richard Ahiagbah clarified that the President’s recommendation for an improvement of the Free SHS policy entails increasing investment in infrastructure at the secondary circle institutions to absorb more students which will increase enrollment.
He detailed that the President’s suggestion of improvement differs from the opposition NDC idea of a review of the Free SHS policy. He emphasized that the review aims to terminate the Free SHS policy rather than enhance it.
Subsequently, Mr. Richard Ahiagbah indicated that the government intends to sustain the Free SHS and to ensure that nothing destabilizes it. He disclosed that the government is taking the necessary steps to resolve the food situation in some secondary schools nationwide.
Also, Mr. Ahiagbah accused the opposition NDC of hindering the government’s efforts to create jobs. He indicated that the opposition’s decision to disapprove the tax exemption of the one-district-one-factory companies which are expected to create jobs is contradictory to the NDC’s assurance to Ghanaians to create jobs if it returns to power.
The remarks of the NPP Director of Communications followed the criticism of the President’s State of the Nation Address by Prof. Godfred Bokpin and the Member of Parliament of North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who accused the President of neglecting issues of relevance during his address.
Conclusively, while it is true that the President cannot necessarily mention everything in his address, it is also true that some of the omitted issues are far more important compared to others that made the address of the President.
READ ALSO: Professor Bokpin Calls For Concrete Solutions To Economic Challenges
