Opinions of Saturday, 27 February 2016

Columnist: Dabbousi, Fabi

NDC government deceiving, lying, and cheating Northern Farmers

By Fadi Dabbousi

So it turns out that the World Bank has openly endorsed Dr Bawumia’s prophetic assertion that Agriculture in Ghana has plummeted to disgraceful levels.
Well, how can that not be when NDC Ministers have deserted their responsibilities to the offices that they hold to practically sleep at radio stations to be on every programme defending the fallible goofs of President John Dramani Mahama’s government? The NDC thieving machinery has at all material times touted that under their auspices, Agriculture has improved drastically.

What a heinous lie!

Agriculture is said to be the biggest employer in the three Northern Regions, but in Ghana under President John Dramani Mahama, according to the World Bank, it has nose-dived from 65% of GDP to 23%. Is that a better Ghana or a bitter Ghana? The World Bank has also told us that in spite of the dwindling productivity in Agriculture, this industry still provides 43% employment in Ghana. If the NDC government had put its weight and investment in this sector instead of stealing and overpricing projects, there would be no redundant Ghanaian. The danger that looms though is that in the rural areas, Agriculture is the only source of employment, which spells doom if it should continue in its freefall. This is a clear case of lack of vision on the part of the President, his Ministers, and the NDC Party that is in power.

Employment In the cocoa farming industry has plummeted, too. Ghana yields half the expectation per acre cultivated than Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) due to the redundancy of the fertiliser and agro-chemical programmes. These have been reduced to serve only NDC card-bearing farmers with just a few others from different political parties for camouflage. The disturbing fact is that even the card bearing members of the NDC receive chemicals in tots and not the full amounts needed to treat their farms with. Or are farmers being told to gulp the tots to get drunk and make merry? Government imports fertilisers and chemicals to share to farmers, but they find their way onto the free market where they are too exorbitant to be accessed by farmers.
Is it any wonder that farmers of the three Northern Regions have been left to their fate when there are vast lands suitable for all types of grain production? The lies and deceptions of John Mahama and his government have spilled over, throwing dust in the eyes of the nation. Unfortunately, the ignoramuses who form the core of their empty-headed communications team cannot find an iota of decency and respect to keep mute if they have nothing to say at all. They shamelessly debunk the truth calling writers of factual articles “liars, fools, criminals”, and so on. They just lie through their teeth. They must be ashamed for the disservice they are doing to Mother Ghana all in the name of politics. No matter one’s affiliation or loyalty to a political party, nothing must derail their loyalty to Ghana. But are there loyalists amongst them?

The massive unemployment in those three Regions: The Upper West, Upper East, and Northern regions, is most troubling. Young folks waste due to the excessive business of doing nothing, sitting in circles consuming large volumes of pito with the hope that with the rise of a new day’s sun a miracle will descend in their midst to make things happen. Unfortunately, that sunrise just adds to the blistering heat that evaporates the little hope they had fostered the day before.

What are the NDC Ministers of State who hail from those upper regions doing to ameliorate the deteriorating situation of their people? What are the parliamentarians doing to help their constituents? They cannot even maintain the hopelessness of the status quo let alone do something about it. The situation worsens with each passing day, yet they are in the capital city, Accra, feasting on buffet banquets, blowing millions of cedis on unnecessary travel, and stealing the nation. Children walk for miles to and fro sources to fetch water for their households before going to their schools, which are often miles away, too. What hope is left for these poor children who have to walk all these miles on bare feet?
And John Mahama insultingly goes public with his “I care” propaganda fitting a child with sandals while his son drives a BMW or a land cruiser to go shopping.
NDC, John Mahama, what iniquity is this at all? GOD save Ghana.
#IAmForChange