Opinions of Sunday, 6 November 2022

Columnist: Joel Savage

‘Kick me out if I come and don’t succeed’ - The words of Akufo Addo come back to haunt him

On February 22, 2019, Akufo Addo posted a comment on Twitter On February 22, 2019, Akufo Addo posted a comment on Twitter

During his desperate search for power in 2016, the current president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, frequently utilized the social media site Twitter to voice his opinions, either in support of himself or against the outgoing leader, John Mahama. Politicians will be aware that "No human being can tame the mouth" if they actually study the Bible. It is written that the mouth is a restless evil that contains poison that can kill. On February 22, 2019, Akufo Addo posted a comment on Twitter with the words, "This year test me too, give me the chance to show you what I can achieve. Not that far away is four years. Throw me out if I come and don't succeed. I can promise you that I won't let you down since God knows what is in my heart. I am promising the Ghanaian people progress and prosperity. — Nana Akufo Addo. His remarks are now considered a curse. Additionally, the president made numerous derogatory remarks about John Mahama, the former president. Akufo Addo criticized Mahama in 2016 while the Cedi was trading at 3.72 to the dollar, claiming that Mahama's poor leadership was to blame for the rate and that a change in government was therefore necessary. Many African politicians are liars, so when they gain power they continue to lie and make promises that they frequently break. Many politicians in Africa use the fight against corruption as a means of gaining power because it is one of the main issues affecting the vulnerable. Ghanaians were given that promise by Akufo Addo that he would arrive to protect the state purse. Ghanaians need that since persistent corruption not only harms the people but also hinders growth. Unfortunately, Akufo Addo increased corruption when he was elected president. When a minister or politician serving the government is implicated in a serious corruption scandal, both in developing and developed countries, the individual is required to submit his resignation. Many of Akufo Addo's political figures, including Charles Bissue, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, the Chief Justice, and Eugene Arhin, the president's director of communication, were corrupt, yet the president maintained them all. Paul Adom-Otchere, a journalist, was also involved in corruption, yet Akufo Addo did not fire him. It's highly bad to make promises to or mislead the people in order to achieve power, just to subsequently turn on them and perform the opposite of what you had promised. Ghanaians wouldn't have known that Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, alias Sir John, whose will exposed him after his death, was also corrupt. There is some reality to the proverb "what goes around, comes around." The Value Added Tax, or VAT, was implemented in Ghana during the administration of the late John Jerry Rawlings. Akufo Addo, who was then considering running for president, organized a protest against the Rawlings administration dubbed "Kumi preku," and the tax was subsequently removed. However, Akufo Addo made a vow to decrease or lower taxes in 2016, prior to being elected president. He advised the populace that since "power belongs to them, they should grant it to him to serve them. The people of Ghana trusted and granted him that authority, but once he was elected president, he instituted a new tax known as the E-Levy. Furious Ghanaians rejected the additional taxation, but Akufo Addo was unyielding in his refusal to take them seriously. He brings a sick MP who was in bed in an ambulance to cast his vote, which increased the number of votes needed to pass the E-Levy. As a result, the E-Levy was put into effect. The E-Levy was unsuccessful because the victims took their money out of the system. Many Ghanaians lost their jobs and businesses as a result of the failure of the E-Levy which also dramatically raised the unemployment rate. In Ghana, crime, corruption, suffering, and suicide have all sharply increased, making life extremely unpleasant for Ghanaians, especially the average person. Even the cheapest goods are out of reach for the Ghanaian population. If you compare and contrast the current administration with the previous ones, you'll realize that Akufo Addo and his entire administration have failed, and they will undoubtedly go down in Ghanaian history as the worst president ever. He said, "Kick me out if I come and don't succeed," therefore he shouldn't hold Ghanaians responsible if they are now calling for his resignation as a result of his failure.