KOFI AKORDOR USING COLUMN TO PROMOTE AKUFO-ADDO

Source: Daily Democrat

Graphic Communications Group, a public corporation and publishers of the nation’s largest selling newspaper, The Daily Graphic, heavily funded by Ghanaian tax payers is gradually transforming into a political propaganda platform to promote the agenda of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). From the Ranford Tetteh’s homosexual hoax, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo’s unwarranted attacks on government and latest on the bill, Kofi Akordor’s ignorant write-up under his column ‘From my Rooftop.’

All indications point to the fact that these respected senior journalists, Kofi Akordor, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, Ransford Tetteh and others who live on the public purse have been influenced by their political affiliations to use the Daily Graphic as a tool to misinform and misrepresent facts to sabotage President Mills and the NDC government.

It is an undeniable fact that no one can be neutral in politics, but in the discharge of one’s responsibility, objectivity and fairness must not be compromised to advance ones political ambition like some elements at Daily Graphic are doing Contrary to the tenets of the profession to educate, inform, entertain, enhance political and social discourse towards making an informed decision, these men of the inky fraternity at privileged positions at the national daily doing the bidding of their masters, are distorting facts and fighting hard for Akufo-Addo to become the next President under the pretext that Ghana is witnessing no development under Mills administration.

Kofi Akordo is pretending not to hear the testimonies concerning the numerous developmental projects going on in the country just within 3 years since 2009. Kofi Akordo, in his “From My Rooftop” column on page 7 of the Tuesday, January 03, 2012, edition of Daily Graphic, wrote under the caption “Vain Promises, Fresh Dreams”, portrayed President Mills and the NDC government as the worst administration that has not brought any development since it assumed office.

He was unable to point at a single positive thing that President Mills and the NDC Administration has done and did not even consider the provision of free school uniforms and exercise books, as achievements. For Kofi Akordor not to appreciate the free school uniforms and exercise books as important initiatives is a clear insult to poor parents, especially those in his Ho Municipality who President Mills is trying hard to support as far as education expenses are concerned. As far as Kofi Akordor is concerned, every year promises are made and the promises made at the beginning of last year came to nothing and so Ghanaians should not expect anything different this year.

Kofi Akordor mentioned the Eastern Corridor road, the Volta & BrongAhafo Universities, and the STX housing project, as promises that were made and not fulfilled in 2011. The most shocking aspect of Kofi Akordor’s analysis is that he claimed to come from Ho but has not bothered to stop at the SokodeLokoe location, where the Volta University is sited and see for himself the kind of development going on there. Again, Kofi Akordor is ignorant not to know that apart from the construction at the main site, construction work has taken place somewhere around the Trafalgar Hospital to house students. Shooting himself with ignorant bullets, Kofi Akordor did not also notice that The Volta University already has a hostel, administration block, and some bungalows for the Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor and some other staff.

Besides the University, has Kofi Akordor bothered to check on the number of schools under trees in the Volta Region, which have been transformed into brick and mortar facilities? If Kofi Akordor cares to know, apart from the Central Region, Volta Region is second when it comes to infrastructure expansion at the secondary school level. Kofi Akordor has exposed his high level of ignorance, because he is not even aware that work has began on the Eastern Corridor road. How much will it take to check a few facts so that Kofi Akordor will not walk around with a cardboard bearing the inscription “I am an ignoramus”.

Maybe Kofi Akordor has not driven on the Asikuma/Kpeve/Hohoe stretch of the road in a while hence his gross ignorance about what is happening on the Eastern Corridor. If Kofi Akordor moves deeper into the Northern part of the Volta Region (specifically Nkwanta to Kpasa) he will not make a mess of himself with his nauseating ignorance. Is it not a shame that as a “Voltarian”, Kofi Akordor does not know the developments that are taking place in the Region and chooses to point his left hand at his own home region? Or just as Ayeboafo sought to do, Kofi Akordor is simply playing NPP politics with his column in the national daily. “For a foreign visitor to be confronted with faulty traffic lights or heavy traffic jam just minutes after arriving in the country and few meters from the airport is not only an eyesore but also a national disgrace” is how Kofi Akordor put out his thought as regards the traffic situation in Ghana.

I ask Mr. Akordor, is it only in Ghana that we are confronted with traffic situations? I am sure Kofi Akordor has visited New York, London, Durban and some other cities in well-developed countries and knows the traffic situation is worse in those cities than in Accra. Indeed, where in the world do we not have traffic problems? Admittedly, the power stability in other cities is better than that of Accra but for goodness sake, in 3 years, the Atta Mills Administration has put up more traffic lights as well as managed the traffic situation in Accra better than the Kufuor Administration. Of course, once the construction of the major roads is completed in a matter of months, the traffic situation will improve drastically. If I am not lying, Kofi Akordor lives somewhere around Sakumono.

Is Kofi Akordor saying he has not seen any improvement on the Spintex Road by way of asphalt and traffic light? Is Kofi Akordor saying that he does not know that the Abattoir road has been redone –with solar powered street lights? Is Kofi Akordor saying that he does not know that the Tema Motorway has been heavily lighted? It is interesting the way Kofi Akordor sought to measure the performance of the Atta Mills Administration with vehicular accidents on our roads. When Kofi Akordor was involved in an accident some years ago (resulting in the death of his very good friend), was President Mills the President of Ghana? Indeed, can Kofi Akordor put his hand in fire and tell the whole world the true reason why he crushed his Benz car and killed his friend?

People like Kofi Akordor should be the last person to talk about bad driving habits on our roads lest he forces some of us to put out things that should not be in the public domain. Still on the issue of roads; is Kofi Akordor saying that President Atta Mills has done nothing even though he has secured dedicated funds to complete the gang of four roads? President Kufuor started the gang of four roads without knowing where funds were going to come from to complete the projects. President Atta Mills has secured funds to complete the projects and Kofi Akordor thinks that is no achievement?

Is Kofi Akordor saying he is not aware that a new asphalted road has been constructed from the side of GIMPA right through to Fiesta Royal Hotel at Dzorwulu?

Has Kofi Akordor not heard that President Mills promised to build a strong and resilient economy and that Ghana’s economy is the fastest growing in the world in spite of the international financial meltdown?

It is a fact that the STX housing project has not started. Some of us are prepared to call a spade a spade and admit that the Atta Mills has not gotten it all right. Indeed, since the days of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, no government has gotten everything right. So when the likes of Ayeboafo and Akordor use their privileged position at Daily Graphic to create the impression that President Atta Mills has done nothing in 3 years, and that the story is a gloomy one, it speaks volumes about the agenda they are pursuing. If Ayeboafo and Akordor care to know, if for nothing at all, cocaine is not flowing everywhere in Ghana and there is a serious investigation going on to unravel how cocaine in the custody of the court turned into sodium bicarbonate. If President Kufuor had acted the way President Mills is acting vis-à-vis the fight against the illicit cocaine trade, maybe, just maybe, there will not be a single kilo of cocaine in Ghana.

President John Evans Atta Mills is certainly not an angel but if Kofi Akodor and Yaw Ayeboafo can stop looking down and look up a bit, they will realise that the Better Ghana agenda is sturdily on course in God-willing, between January 2013 and January 2017, when President Atta Mills has another four year mandate, the Better Ghana agenda will reach much higher heights.

Yaw BoaduAyeboafo and Kofi Akordor, you can play your NPP propaganda elsewhere; stop using your privileged positions at the national daily to do the bidding of your paymasters.

I wish Kofi Akordor a happy new year and hope that he will spend a little time touring the Volta Region so that next year when he puts his pen to paper, he will not expose his gross ignorance as regards happenings in his home region – especially Ho, where he hails from.