General News of Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Source: yen.com.gh

Akufo-Addo not in control of Ghana - Top NDC official cries

Alban Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament

A top NDC official, Alban Bagbin, has argued that President Akufo-Addo has failed to manage the affairs of Ghana.

Alban Bagbin is of the view that Nana Addo has a weak leadership style which is resulting in severe consequences like the fall in the cedi and outbursts of social vices in the country.

According to Alban Bagbin, the decision by the Akufo-Addo administration to constitute a cabinet of 110 appointees was woefully disappointing considering the economic implications on the country.

"I don’t think that this is the Nana Addo I knew that he could ever think of appointing 110 ministers and deputy ministers after criticizing 84 ministers and deputy ministers that it was on the high side,” he argued.

Also, the second deputy speaker of parliament made the argument that the president has left the rulership of the country into the hands of appointees.

He suspects that Nana Addo's ministers have virtually taken up the power vested in the president to govern the country.

"I think he has been torpedoed and pushed to do that and that it looks like he is losing grips over his people. He is not in firm control actually. I don’t think he is in firm control,” he said.

NPP campaign promises and success

The success of the NPP winning elections was largely based on the ambitious and mouth-watering campaign promises the then-presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo churned to millions of supporters and voters.

Just when the NPP administration chalked hundred days in office, the vice president spelled out what he believed to be the first 100 achievements of his administration in just a hundred days.

Meanwhile, it has been a year and some months since the NPP administration took office and some juicy promises like the one district one factory are yet to be implemented.

We go back to dig out some of the manifesto promises made by the NPP assessing whether or not the party has made great strides:

1. NPP will issue National ID cards in the first year.

President Akufo-Addo launched the National ID program in September 2017. Beyond the launch, there was supposed to be a massive registration exercise, which will see the Central, Western and Eastern regions. But to date, the mass registration of the program has failed to turn up.

2. Allocation of $1 million annually to all constituencies

This was one of government's promise in the NPP manifesto. The whole of 2017, we kept hearing the assurance and high hope for this fund getting to constituencies for rapid development. But things changed when the evaluation minister clarified the campaign promise was not possible to achieve in a year.

“….This is obvious. For example, we are in August [and] the one million dollars per constituency programme, it is only five months to the end of the year so it cannot be fully implemented. But it will definitely start in earnest,” he revealed on Starr FM.

3. Development of interconnected roads, railways, ports, and harbors (RRHPs) systems.

Almost all roads in Ghana are not interconnected. With the widespread cases of accidents and sheer dust on untarred roads, it remains quite clear that these signs are not being adhered to.

4. Water For All Programme

This campaign promise was to ensure that every Ghanaian has access to potable water. This campaign promise has not been achieved even after a year since the government made these pledges to the people of the country.

5. Quality, Affordable Housing

It's been almost a year and few months since this campaign promise was made and one can say there is still more to be done to making it a reality.

As it stands not, Ghana's housing deficit as at 2015 stands at 1.7 million households. The issue of affordability also becomes an issue when landlords and ladies charge more than a year as rent allowance.

6. Kindergarten places for all four-year-old children in the country.

Day in and day out, there have been shocking reports on how school pupils have to lay on their bellies from the first day at school to when classes end.

YEN.com.gh has also told chilling report on how these young children study under trees and also in various uncompleted buildings.