General News of Sunday, 19 February 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

You don't bloodily listen to anyone - Afia Pokua takes on 'Akyem Mafia' over DDEP

Ace broadcaster Afia Pokua Ace broadcaster Afia Pokua

Ace broadcaster Afia Pokua, has accused President Akufo-Addo and his siblings of living in a bubble and not being open to wise counsel on the management of the country’s economy.

Describing the president and his cohorts as Akyem Mafia, Afia Pokua asserts that the government was forewarned about the dangers of its fixation with borrowing.

She opined that the country’s economic mess has been triggered by the refusal of the government to listen to advice from persons outside the bubble.

She holds that former Chief Justice, Gloria Akuffo decided to join the pensioner bondholders to picket at the Finance Ministry due to the refusal of the Akyem Mafias to listen to her views on the economy.

“If they were doing things right, would the Chief Justice picket against them? It’s because they’ve refused to listen. From the President to Ofori-Atta nobody is bloodily listening. What kind of country is this? Is the country for you? A whole former Chief Justice has gone to picket.

She hit out at Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko for his attacks on Sophia Akuffo over her decision to join the protest.

“We’ve left the job for others but you have Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko sitting in his air-conditioned office attacking her. If they listened to the concerns of Ghanaians as they borrowed, we wouldn’t be here. Now they are using the money of the poor to settle the debt. Ken Ofori-Atta has the debt to tell us that its optional so you can decide to sign or not,” she said.

Sophia Akuffo on February 14, 2023 joined scores of pensioner bondholders to picket at the Finance Ministry.

She explained in an interview at the pensioners’ picket at the Ministry of Finance (February 14) that she had joined the picket as a matter of principle and will not rule out going to court to enforce her rights in case government defaults on its commitments to her as a bondholder.

Asked how she felt about attacks by detractors calling her out for joining the picket and critiquing government’s handling of the economy and the DDEP programme, she said she was unperturbed.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but blah blah will not hurt me,” she told journalists before adding that she would not trade insults with such people.

“Insults? Insults is the weapon of the pin brained. I am not going to trade words with pin-brains, I am sorry,” she stressed.

KPE