General News of Wednesday, 15 January 2025

Source: starrfm.com.gh

Akufo-Addo Statue: It is unacceptable for the president to honor himself – Amoako Baah

Political scientist Dr. Richard Amoako Baah Political scientist Dr. Richard Amoako Baah

Political scientist, Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, says it was unacceptable for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to honour himself with a statue.

The statue of former President Akufo-Addo, located at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital roundabout in Sekondi, Western Region, has since been completely destroyed by unknown individuals.

This is the second time the statue has been vandalised, following a previous incident on December 16, 2024, where a portion of the statue was damaged.

The statue, unveiled on November 6, 2024, during President Akufo-Addo’s one-day “Thank You Tour” of the region, sparked intense public debate.

In an interview on Morning Starr with Naa Deedei Tettey, Dr. Amoako Baah said that he was not surprised the president’s statue was destroyed.

He emphasised that statues are symbols of honour that should be decided by parliament and the citizens, not the individual being honoured.

While Dr. Amoako Baah acknowledged that the destruction of the statue was not something he condoned, he expressed frustration over what he described as an improper and self-serving gesture by Nana Addo.

The political scientist also noted that Akufo-Addo’s presidency was marked by significant issues such as corruption and mismanagement, adding that his failure to take action against these issues was a major concern.

While he condemned lawlessness, Dr. Amoako Baah reiterated that it is unacceptable for a president to honour himself in this way.

“It is parliament who does that and they will allocate money to do the honouring. You did it yourself saying thank you. Who is saying thank you? Have you seen a statue talking before? You did what you wanted, and if somebody destroys it, why are you crying? You did it yourself. If you go round and ask who the worst president is, it will be him. His ministers misbehave and he doesn’t say anything. It is unacceptable for the president to honour himself.”

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