Cadres in the Upper East region have advised against government’s plans to overhaul the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), saying it would only result in a needless drain of the taxpayer’s cashbox.

The campaign that brought the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from 8-year-long opposition to power at the 2016 polls saw the party consistently refer to SADA, an invention of the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, as “a vehicle for corruption and mismanagement”.

And when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, even weeks before his investiture as the fifth President of the Fourth Republic, disclosed without hesitation that he would “overhaul” the agency, it came not as a shock but as just the beginning of the expected change for which an overwhelming majority of Ghanaians had voted in December, 2016.

But cadres, surviving frontrunners of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), a khaki revolutionary regime that became the forerunner of the NDC in the early 80s, are of a strong opinion that restructuring SADA into what the NPP deems fit is a wrong way to go.

“The consequences of changing SADA now,” they strongly warn in a press statement issued to Starr News, “cannot be underestimated.”

“It has also got serious financial implications to the taxpayer. The cadres would want to make a humble appeal to the President to rescind his decision to overhaul SADA because it has just had its management reconstituted.

Cadres believe that a lot of work and resources went into that project and more importantly the CEO, Dr. Charles Abugre and his colleagues are in full possession of their faculties. No attempt should, therefore, be made to overhaul SADA now but rather to give SADA adequate resources to be able to deliver its mandate per the Act,” the statement added.

Post-election violence calls for urgent stakeholders’ conference

The press statement, initialed by the Upper East Regional Chairman of the United Cadres Front (UCF), Noble Asakeya Alagskomah, also took a strong position against the pockets of violence repeatedly witnessed after elections in the country.

“In order to forestall future post-election violence, we ask that a stakeholders’ conference be held as quickly as possible to address the perennial post-election violence the country has continued to witness since Ghana’s return to democratic governance in 1992.

“The stakeholders should include traditional authorities, the Interparty Advisory Committee, representatives from the religious bodies, the National Peace Council, civil society organisations, party executives at all levels, assembly members, youth groups, associations of persons with disabilities, et cetera,” it proposed.

Akufo-Addo congratulated for victory, Mahama commended for peace
Whilst congratulating President Akufo-Addo and the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on their feat at the 2016 general elections, the cadres also commended former President, John Dramani Mahama, for his timely concession of defeat- a move they said helped dispel some clouds of tension and unrest that hanged over the country after the polls.

“We also wish to congratulate President John Dramani Mahama for his show of nationalism and patriotism for conceding defeat. His early statement conceding defeat really averted what could have been political turmoil. By this gesture, he placed the interest of Corporate Ghana far and above his party’s interest,” the statement said.

It added: “Cadres also expect the [new] President to deliver on his campaign promises which we believe will improve the lot of the masses. Cadres also want to use this opportunity to remind all public office holders that probity, accountability and transparency are still as relevant as they were 35 years ago and should, therefore, remain the watchwords of all duty bearers since one day they will be either individually or collectively called upon to account for their stewardship to the masses. We appeal to all Ghanaians to join hands with the [new administration] to enable them implement their policies and programmes in order to improve the lot of Ghanaians.”