By Emmanuel Akli, Takoradi

Accra - The Vice President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, has stated that as a Christian who would always stand by the truth, it would be wrong for him to go round the country, telling the people that Ghana is not facing any economic crisis.

To be honest the economy is actually in crisis, he admitted.

This, he explained, should not, however, be misconstructed that the NDC government is incompetent to manage the economy or they are thieves who have been siphoning money from the national treasury.

The Vice President, who was speaking at separate durbars at Sekondi, Ghana, Daboase, Tarkwa, Hunivalley, among others as part of his four day duty tour of Western Region, said the economic crisis the country is going through was caused by external factors which are beyond the control of his government.

Professor Mills further told these separate durbars of chiefs and their subjects not to be discouraged about the present state of the economy, but have confidence in the NDC government because they are in the process of solving the problems and that very soon all would be over.

"I am not bragging and do not intend to brag as others have been doing, I mean what I am saying", he told the people.

According to Atta Mills any other government at all would have collapsed in the face of this economic crisis brought about by the slump in our export revenue but they have some how managed to contain the situation.

"You go to other countries and you would realise that for sometime now they have not been able to pay their workers due to economic crisis they are facing but that is not the case in Ghana", he said.

Mills, who spoke mainly in Akan, told the people that whether the country would move forward or backward would depend on the outcome of the coming general elections, and therefore called on the people to vote for the NDC party of which he is the flagbearer because in so doing the are not only voting for the NDC, but for peace and stability.

He, however, cautioned the people not to consider their political opponents as their enemy and try to engage in a war with them.

Madam Faustina Nelson, on her part, said God has already appointed Mills as the next president of Ghana and therefore the continued tearing of his posters would not help in anyway.

She also told the chiefs and their people that as Akan-speaking citizens it is incumbent upon them to vote for Mills, who is also an Akan, to champion their cause and also honour all their needs.

Among the officials who accompanied the Vice on his official "duty tour" was the national campaign manager of the NDC, Commander Steve Obimpeh, who is also the MP for North Dayi, Madam Faustina Nelson, a national vice chairperson of NDC, Dr. Frank Abu, the minister for Mines and Energy, Mrs. Esther Lily Nkansah and the Western regional chairman of NDC, Mr. Archibald Asamoah.