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The flag bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Hon. Williams Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took his turn at the Institute of Economic Affairs’ (IEA) encounter with Presidential Candidates on Tuesday August 21, 2012.

I must admit Nana Addo’s delivery in the first 25minutes or so was splendid. His oratory skills in reading and communicating with his audience were brought to bear on that faithful night and within the time under reference. This notwithstanding, his delivery during the questions and answer period was abysmal as indicated by some independent political analysts. His answers to questions exposed his lack of political ideas when put on the spot.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s performance during the encounter would be discussed thoroughly on a different platform. This piece however, seeks to bring to light Ten (10) naked lies which were advanced by Nana Addo in his presentation and some during his answers to the questions on the night.

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*FABRICATION ONE (1) ** *

Nana Addo said “Esinam told me in Vakpo, in the Volta Region, that her problem was the collapsing National Health Insurance Scheme. She said, “NHIS egblen!”” and proceeded without any basis to conclude “It has been painful to watch the NDC government try its best to collapse the NHIS, whilst struggling to implement their unrealistic one-time premium promise. Today, the fear of getting sick is back. The NHIS has been degraded and Cash & Carry is back. Fellow citizens, we will revive and restore confidence in the NHIS. Our goal is to achieve universal coverage of the NHIS for all Ghanaians.”

The NHIS as it stands now has a universal coverage. So which kind of universal is Nana Addo talking about? Or, he meant that Ghanaians could use their NHIS card in London, Ondo State in Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, or Togo when we travel outside of the country? Empty promise!

The fact is that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has been ‘growing from grass to grace’ for the last three and half years. There have been dramatic increases in all the indicators of the NHIS ranging from Membership, Claims Payment, Card Utilization, etc. etc.

The membership of the Scheme increased by about a whopping 84% as at the end of 2011 as compared to what Nana Addo and NPP left in 2008.

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*MEMBERSHIP OF NHIS*

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*2008*

*2011*

*Percentage (%) Increase *

12,518,560

22,940,181

83.25

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The total claims made to the NHIA by Accredited Healthcare Providers rose to as high as about 178% as at the end of 2011 compared to figures in 2008. By the end of the first quarter in 2012, the total claims amounted to GH¢125,283,230.80.

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*CLAIMS PAYMENT OF NHIS *

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*2008*

*2009*

*2010*

*2011*

*Total Percentage (%) Increase*

GH¢198,144,036.40

GH¢322,911,660.84

GH¢394,272,650.42

GH¢550,724,202.40

177.98

The claims payment is justified by Utilization records. Utilization is simply the number of times NHIS cards were used to access healthcare. It is not the number of Members who visited the hospital because one member may have used his/her card more than one time to access healthcare. Utilization is the single most important indicator of whether Nana Addo’s stranger ‘Esinam’ or Ghanaians have lost confidence in the NHIS or the scheme is collapsing. Utilization of the NHIS card has recorded over 170% as at the end of 2011 compared with the figures in 2008.

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*UTILIZATION OF NHIS CARD*

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*2008*

*2011*

*Percentage (%) Increase*

9,967,091

26,937,677

170.27

The NHIS under the current NDC government cannot be a collapsing scheme; the facts and figures indicate a growing scheme.

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*FABRICATION TWO (2)*

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“At the Sango Beach, here in Accra, fishermen were downhearted and frustrated. Their major complaints were about the increasing cost of fishing equipment and inputs. Outboard motors that cost GH¢2,900 in 2008 now cost GH¢8,000 - in single digit inflation Ghana.” Nana Akufo-Addo.

May I respectfully submit to Nana Addo that no fisherman anywhere in Ghana buys outboard motor at the price of GH¢8,000; every fisherman knows this! Fishermen in Ghana buy outboard motors (Yamaha 4-STROKE Series F40LEHA) at GH¢4,900.

In any case, the rise in price of outboard motors cannot be the making of the NDC government. A check from www.nadaguide.com which gives prices of outboard motors and other equipments quotes the price of a 40 – Horsepower outboard motor at $4,955 as at August 22, 2012. This translates to some GH¢9,910 but the NDC government waive taxes for the Importers and that is why the market value is at GH¢8,000. And the NDC government subsidize the cost by selling to fishermen at a reduced price of GH¢4,900.

In fact, Nana Addo would have been forgiven if he had said he asked the price of an outboard motor from the open market but not when he says a fisherman told him because NO fisherman in Ghana buys an outboard motor at GH8,000.

At worse, Nana Addo should have commended the NDC government for the conscious show of concern to the plight of the fisherman.

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*FABRICATION THREE (3)*

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On the politics of currency, Nana Addo said “The black market trade in foreign currency is back as the cedi continues to fall against all major currencies”.

Black market in the foreign exchange operations refers to unlicensed dealers of foreign currency. This market has been in existence before I was born in the eighties. It is important to state that they existed and continued to exist before and during the President Kufour regime.

Nana Addo cannot claim not to know this! He should contact Former President Kufour about the operations of the Black market since some of these dealers operate inches around the family house of the former President in Alarbar within the Constituency of Hon. Mathew Opoku Prempeh.

The strength of the Ghana cedi is fairly good contrary to the claims by Nana Addo. In fact, official figures from the Bank of Ghana indicate that the cedi has been stable over the last two (2) months. The figures produced so far by the BoG in the month August, 2012 show a stronger cedi which continue to appreciate in value against all the major currencies. Below are the foreign exchange figures:

Wednesday August 01, 2012

*Currency*

*Buying*

*Selling*

*USDGHS*

2.0164 2.0705

*GBPGHS*

3.1118

3.1773

*EURGHS*

2.4391

2.5036

*XOFGHS*

263.0320

271.8735

*Source: Bank of Ghana*

Wednesday August 22, 2012

*Currency*

*Buying*

*Selling*

*USDGHS*

2.0000

2.0518

*GBPGHS*

3.0936

3.1791

*EURGHS*

2.4409

2.4991

*XOFGHS*

262.4672

269.874Top of Form

*Source: Bank of Ghana*

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The analysis of the figures above interprets that the Ghana Cedi (using the Selling figures as usually the case) between Wednesday August 01, 2012 and Wednesday August 22, 2012 appreciated against the US Dollar by 0.91%, the Euro by 0.18%, the CFA by 0.74% and depreciated marginally against the British Pound by 0.06%.

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*FABRICATION FOUR (4)*

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I could not believe my ears listening to Nana Addo as he claimed that he is not corrupt and has never been corrupted.

He said “I am determined to fight corruption aggressively, and I can do so, because I am not corrupt, have never been corrupt, and will demand the same of my team. Accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of good governance. Ghana needs this, Ghana deserves this and I, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, pledge to deliver this to the good people of Ghana.”

Clearly, this statement by Nana Addo cannot stand the test of scrutiny! Does he understand what is meant by corruption?

Corruption may be defined as dishonesty and illegal behavior by people in positions of authority or power. Just by spewing untruths at the IEA (of which I write about), Nana Addo is Corrupt!

Nana Addo must tell the people of Ghana how the dockets of the Dzowulu NPP women organizers vanished into thin air under his watch. These NPP women were arrested for attempting to smuggle narcotics out of Ghana when Nana Akufo-Addo was the Attorney General. He failed to prosecute them, the docket vanished and the women evaporated. Can Nana Addo tell us the where about of his ‘drug’ women?

Again we have been told by Samuel Abu Jinapor, an aide to Nana Addo that when the NPP were looting state lands, Nana Addo rejected one of such lands offered him citing an immorality for his rejection. Why did he keep quite till when they were voted out of power? This attitude cannot be described as an anti-corruption behavior.

Nana Akufo-Addo was Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister when the Foreign Affairs Hostel lands were distributed to NPP officials like it was willed to NPP. Instead holding the lands in trust for the people of Ghana, Nana Addo supervised the distribution to cronies.

How did Raymond Amankwa (Nana Addo’s brother-in-law) get a diplomatic passport to trade in narcotics when Nana Addo was in charge of the state’s diplomatic passport? Was it not illegal for Raymond to have possessed a diplomatic passport? Is that not corruption?

What did Nana Addo say when ex-President Kufour used state resources to renovate his private residence? Was he not our Minister of Justice and Attorney General? Nana Addo is CORRUPT by all standards!!!!

I think the best person to tell the people of Ghana about Nana Addo’s corrupt activities is his former colleague Member of Parliament for Asikuma Odobeng Aborakwa, Hon. P. C. Appiah Ofori.

“GT was running four different services and made more profit than MTN, so why couldn’t Ghana benefit more from the GT sale to Vodafone? Every NPP MP on the Vodafone deal knew in their hearts that, they took 5,000 dollars from the former chief of staff “, Hon. P. C. Appiah Ofori.

How are we going to find documents after the Foreign Affairs building got burnt? Is Nana Addo going to use former President Kufour’s team? I have no further comment!

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*FABRICATION FIVE (5)*

Nana Akufo-Addo explained in his own way what makes the people of Ghana poor. He said “…..God did not put us on this rich land to be poor. It is bad leadership that makes us poor. So let us change now! and move Ghana forward together.”

If Ghanaians would remember, Former President Kufour in last days explained what makes the people of Ghana poor. In his experienced view, “it is laziness that makes us poor”.

I find it extremely difficult to reconcile the position of Nana Addo and that of former President Kufour. I can only take the position of President Kufour since he has been in high leadership position to know that it is not bad leadership that makes us poor as claimed by Nana Addo.

Watch out for the last Five (5) fabrications in some few days to come!

Brogya Genfi

(NDC Youth Activist)

egenfi@gmail.com