Opinions of Friday, 19 November 2004

Columnist: Poku, Kojo

How to Prevent a Coup d?Etat & Civil war In Ghana

The government thinks controlling the loyalty of senior and mid-level military officers is vital to prevent a coup. I totally disagree. This is my 9-point plan on how to eradicate coups (with examples) completely.

1. Stop Misusing Public Property

Here are some examples of how public funds have been misused:
  • MPs were granted $20,000 loans, which cannot be repaid

  • Government has spent over $600,000 on bullet proof cars for Kufuor without Parliamentary approval, $40,00 to $60,000 on pajeros for 72 ministers and deputies, $90,000 Benz for the speaker of the house, $560,000 on political parties, over ?15 Billion was spent on the rehabilitation of the Castle and ministerial bungalows ?. while Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital cannot afford a $5,000 generator

  • President Kufuor has made over 90 foreign trips in less than four years collecting $3000 Per Diem for a day. He usually travels with an entourage of 36 officials and friends who mainly go on shopping sprees. Meanwhile, 90% of working Ghanaian cannot make Kufuor's daily per diem in a year.

  • Special govt advisors ? who happen to be mainly friends & relatives of NPP officials - get $2,000 to $5,000 a month, for doing NOTHING. Meanwhile, a doctor?s take-home-pay is $150/month and the government wants them to be patriotic and stay home.

  • Strategic Reserve Plant has not produced even one kilowatt of power since they were installed in May 2003 with a total rental payment increasing at a rate of 1.38 million dollars per month, needed attention.

  • A non-Ghanaian lady, Miss Gizelle Yajzi was engaged as Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance under very suspicious circumstance and no specific terms of reference and she run up bills for the Ghana government

  • $2m paid to a fake Consultant/Architect in London in 2001 to ?brand? Ghana

2. Stop the Misappropriation/stealing of State or corporate funds

  • ?735 million was spent to renovate the Odorkor residence of the late Progress Party Prime Minister of the Second Republic, Dr. K. A. Busia without Parliamentary approval;

  • Where did Kufuor get money to buy a plush house at Asonomase in Kumasi for US$500,000 from its Lebanese owner? How did Dan Botwe get money to acquire three houses in less than 4 years? The central regional minister Edumadze has put up a castle in his home region ? where from the money?

  • Dr. Apraku, Minister for Regional Integration and NEPAD has, since becoming a Minister, built a mansion for himself at Akomadan and purchased another mansion near the Kumasi Golf Club from Unilever Ltd at the cost of US$100,000;

  • Mr. S. K. Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, has, since becoming a Minister, built a mansion at Asonomaso in Kumasi at a cost of ?1.5 Billion and received a gift of a Mercedes Benz 230 saloon car on his 50th birthday;

  • What happened to he proceeds from the sale of the US ambassador?s residence?

3. Stop The Kokofu Football, i.e. Tribalism & Nepotism

  • All President Kufuor?s ?close? relatives are working in the government. His son is a consultant with one of the fattest contacts in Ghana

  • Asantehene (Chief of President Kufuor?s tribe) has been made the de-facto head of state since Kufuor took over the presidency in 2001. The circumstances surrounding the US$5 million ?ethnic agenda? loan from the World Bank to the Asanteman Council and the Akim Abuakwa Traditional Council

  • Executive Director of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), Nana (Dr.) Baah Boakye, and former Principal of Accra Polytechnic is the cousin of Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku.

  • Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Ekumfi, former Minister of Education and now Minister of Ports, Harbours and Railways, awarded contracts for the reprinting of science textbooks to his cronies for a period of five years and in excess of ?50 Billion without going through tender

  • Vice President Aliu Mahama and Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP Alhaji Salifu COP, used their influence to stop the trial of a ?71 million Lands Commission embezzlement case involving one Comfort Chilalah, a relation of the Vice President?s wife

  • Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu and Kumasi Metropolitan Chief boss Kofi Jumah diverted a national cities project known as the ?Cities Alliance Project? meant for Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and Koforidua, to a ?City Development Strategy Project? meant exclusively for Kumasi alone

4. Implement Zero Tolerance for corruption

  • Stop the Selective Application Of Zero Tolerance For Corruption. In simple mans terms, why jail Peprah and Mallam Issah of "Inshalla" fame, while Mallam Moctar Bamba, Wereko-Brobbey, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Apraku, Edumdze and Osafo-Maafo are all free?

  • The following fraudulent deals have been swept under the carpet: Sahara Oil Deal, Police Car Acquisition from Nigeria, Telenor Deal, Ghana Airways Sellout, IFC Loan, CNTCI Loan, Apraku's Diversion of GFZB Funds, The Mango Gate Scandal, ?150 billion Castle renovation project headed by Obetsebi-Lamptey, Importation of rice by Addo-Kufuor, Minister Angela Ofori Atta STP connection, Visa fraud of the MP for Lower Akim ..etc

  • Three executive members of the Dzowulu Women's Wing of the NPP were arrested in 2003 for attempting to smuggle cocaine to the USA. The docket of the case was at the Cantonments Police Station and the case was discontinued at the instance of a prominent NPP personality

5. Stop the Spinning, i.e. Deceiving the people

  • Hoax coups, falsified economic statistics, fake awards does not put food an the people?s tables

  • Slashing workers? salary without telling the whole truth about the rational behind the cut

  • "We have fulfilled all our promises" is the greates lie ever told in Ghana. Stop it!!!

6. Stop the ?Promise & fail?

  • In 2000, NPP promised us 100,000 jobs, zero tolerance for corruption, positive change etc. Nothing was delivered. It?s campaign time and Kufuor is already promising miracles in his next term. E.g. free education.

7. Stop Intimidation, Human right abuses and Murder of political opponents

  • Yaa Naa - Murdered by Conspiracy by top NPP men

  • Any news editor who writes something against a govt minister is invited to the police for questioning. Editors who write falsehoods about Rawlings are praised

  • Minister Hackman's Maid Hacked Unconscious

  • Edumadze & Maxwell Jumah beat up taxi drivers

  • Blackmail & Extortion of Police officers in Kosovo by the defense Minister & IGP

8. Stop Selling (the Sovereignty of) Ghana

  • Non-Surrender Agreement between Ghana and the USA was a complete sellout.

  • Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey's assistance to the American Mormons Church to acquire land for their headquarters along the ceremonial road in Accra was in exchange for money and his daughter?s education in USA

    9. Stop Disgracing the country

    • Ghana Expo 2003 Fair held in Atlanta & London turned out to be another fraud perpetrated on unsuspecting business establishments and diplomatic missions in Ghana by persons closely associated and connected with the NPP Government.

    • Hon. Mrs. Grace Coleman, NPP MP for Asokore-Effiduase, is a "Wanted" woman in the USA to face trial in connection with a case in which her daughter and her son-in-law have already been convicted


    Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.