There is no doubt that there is some grand scheme to tarnish my image even as I make benevolent efforts to ensure that farmers in the part of the country where I hail from have access to cheap tractor services to improve upon . If there was any doubt about this agenda it was put to rest in the Wednesday 7th October 2009 edition of The New Crusading Guide and the Daily Guide two newspapers that have sought to give prominence to the misguided vile campaign against my reputation by the so-called “Progressive” National Forum (PNF).

Last weekend, I issued a statement on the matter of the tractors in which I narrated extensively the processes leading to the acquisition of the tractors and the setting up of the Mechanization Centre in Bawku. In that statement I said the Management Committee (MT), which manages the tractor services, reports (and I have verified that) that they provided tractor services in Bawku at the rate of GH¢12.00 (twelve Ghana Cedis).

In its bid to continue its agenda to misinform and tarnish my reputation the so–called ‘Progressive’ National Forum has conveniently ignored these verifiable facts and deliberately and without shame lied to Ghanaians (which lies have been given extensive coverage by the New Crusading Guide and Daily Guide) by stating in today’s edition of those papers that tractors services were provided at the cost of GH¢250 (Two Hundred and Fifty Ghana Cedis). According to their statement, by their erroneously calculated estimates, I would have made GH¢ 125,520 from the provision of tractor services this year alone. Having decided that they are not seeking the truth they go to the absurdity of quoting GHC 250 as the charge per acre of tractor services provided in Bawku and “by simply multiplying the 1046 acres Mr. Ayariga himself quoted in his press release by the rate charged” they estimate that I have made GHC 261,500 from tractor services this year!

Where in this country does any farmer procure tractor services at the cost of GH¢250 (Two Million and Five Hundred Old Ghana Cedis) per acre? And if they were honest Ghanaian citizens seeking the truth they would have appropriately used the figure of GHC12.00 for services provided in Bawku quoted in the press statement. Instead of GHC 12.00 (Twelve new Ghana Cedis or One hundred and Twenty old Ghana cedis) they have quoted GHC 250.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty new Ghana Cedis or Two Million and Five Hundred old Ghana Cedis). It is now obvious what their agenda is. But obviously the so –called ‘Progressive’ National Forum is on a manhunt for Ayariga’s reputation and any mutation of the facts and figures to achieve that end would do. They have been exposed!

As further proof of the wickedness of the agenda of the so-called ‘Progressive’ National Forum and their allies and behind-the-scene sponsors whom we now know, the busy body group state that the 5 tractors were procured at the price of one. Obviously this is far from the truth because the press statement clearly states that the cost of the tractors total GHC 90,000 and is to be paid over a 5 year period. Also who says that tractors at the mechanization center are not providing services to underprivileged farmers if their real concern is about the under-privileged?

Obviously the so-called ‘Progressive National Forum is not in a search for the truth and is not prosecuting a mission to hold public officials accountable but rather is being sponsored to prosecute a programme of misinforming the populace with the objective of denting the image of political opponents. In view of this foul propaganda agenda of this busy body group I will henceforth ignore their rantings and concentrate on how to improve the lot of farmers in my district.