General News of Thursday, 26 September 2002

Source: Chronicle

Kofi Wayo stings government

Mr Charles Kofi Wayo, alias Kofi Agbedefu Akakpo, has criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of which he is still a leading member, for continuing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) tradition of importing $60,000 and $40,000 four-wheel drives for its appointees at a time millions of children roam the streets uneducated and hungry.

?Something is wrong with our society that prefers parties, banquets and seminars to welfare for its people. If the government is asking the people to sacrifice because we are broke, then we should all suffer, Why are they buying $60,000 and $40,000 Pajeros?? he asked at a brief ceremony at which he presented ?250,000 to a widow for the upkeep of her two sons.

Mr Wayo who looked emotionally charged continued: ?I want to put it to ?President Kufuor that two years is almost gone and nothing is happening?. Then he dropped what looked like a hint of his future plans: ?Yebesesa!? in his usual pidgin Akan, to wit ?we shall change the current government?.

Before next elections offer any opportunity for such a change in government, however, Kofi Wayo charged his colleagues who are serving in the establishment to ?downsize? the government to save money that is badly needed to ?grow our people?. He reminded Politicians that they are not private business people who can afford sleek cars and so they should make do with economic cars and even motors-cycles.

Turning to the mass of the people of Ghana, the maverick politician asked, ?why we always elect governments that are so wicked towards their own people? Even the white man was nicer to us, he asserted further, wondering why Ghanaians allow things to happen that way.

The children to whom Mr Wayo offered the assistance were Kojo Kemavor in primary one and Nana Kwame Kemavor at the kindergarten section of a private school at Bawaleshie, a suburb of Accra. According to their mother, her husband and father of the children died last year after a protracted illness and that cut short the children?s schooling a s she used the small money she had been using in selling foodstuff in the market on the upkeep of the children.

Then came in Mr Wayo who gave her ?100,000 last term to pay their fees and so the kids went back to school. But since last week Tuesday when the new term began, the children had been staying away from school because their mother could not pay the fee, which had been increased to ?150,000.

Kofi Wayo said there were tens of other school-going children he had been touched to help look after in school. But he pointed out that even if ?I am a billionaire, my money will not last two weeks, if I continue this way?, stressing that the government should take up its responsibility of caring for the needy children.