Politics of Monday, 4 May 2020

Source: peacefmonline.com

Constructing Cathedral is Akufo-Addo's topmost priority not district hospitals - Edudzi Tamakloe

Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, Special Aide to John Dramani Mahama Lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, Special Aide to John Dramani Mahama

A Special Aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe believes President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo deliberately chose to honour his promise of building a Cathedral to God than fulfil his campaign promise to construct district hospitals for Ghanaians in the party's 2016 manifesto.

According to him, in the NPP's 2016 manifesto, under the Health Sector, the party pledged to construct district hospitals in 2017, yet three years down the line the Akufo-Addo administration has not made any attempt to commence even one of those structures since none of the budget statements from 2017 to 2020 captured these projects.

“ . . I have seen the 2017 budget statement in Parliament and it did not capture the project and in the 2018 to 2020 budget statements, the district hospital projects are not captured,” he indicated.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe said it is an undeniable fact that when he (Akufo-Addo) became President, he indicated where his priority lies; building a Cathedral for the glory of God.

“When he was voted into power, the President made it clear that his topmost priority was to build a cathedral for the glory of God . . . he promised God that should he win the election to become President, he will honour Him with a Cathedral . . . for the past three years, the President has been assiduously working towards fulfilling that promise to God more than the district hospitals captured in their manifesto,” he asserted.

Sod-cutting Is Your Only Achievement

Wondering how the President will be able to fulfil the promise of constructing 88 district hospitals within a year with barely 8months to the end of his four-year tenure, he said; "you are left with some few months to exit office and here you are making outlandish promises to put up 88 district hospitals in a year. The only thing your administration can tout as achievement is the sod-cut for what looks like a hospital performed by the Vice President Bawumia at Walewale, and since then, nothing has happened over there . . . and then also the commissioning of that small structure at Atomic by the President which he said will be used as a facility for the referral of COVID-19 cases."

No Fantasy Dome-like Hospitals

Sounding a bit cynical, the NDC activist entreated the current administration that, even though they appear to be in a bit of haste, it will be prudent on the NPP's part to ensure the party does not oversee or spearhead the construction of pavilion-like district hospitals, but rather the Dodowa type of hospital ex-President John Dramani Mahama put up.

“ . . we have seen the kind of district hospital at Dodowa and so your kind of district hospital is it pavilion-like in the fashion of the Fantasy Dome at the Trade Fair? Is he coming to build the kind at Dodowa with 100 beds or what kind of hospital is he going to build?” he quizzed.