President Nana Addo may have patted himself at the back for the gains made within a year in office but the General Secretary of the opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said if the President has made any achievement, one year in office worth commending, it is his excellent record in covering up corruptions cases.

According to the NDC scribe, the Wednesday’s press encounter held at the Presidency, was a ploy to divert attention from the ongoing sitting of the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee probing into the alleged cash-for-seat allegation.

Enumerating his achievements one year in office, President Nana Addo said his government has been able to improved on the Real GDP growth recording 9.3% in the third quarter of 2017 which used to be 3.5% in 2016, debt situation of the country has also declined from 36% to 13.6% as at September 2017 coupled with clearing of debts owed GETFund contractors.

The President also mentioned restoration of teacher and nurse trainees allowance, implementation of Free Senior High School Policy, and signing of some Bills into law, as some of his high achievements since taking office in January 2017.

However, asked about his impression on the President’s encounter with journalists across the country, the General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia said corruption allegations against the present government is overwhelming and questioned the commitment of the President to fighting corruption.

He noted that “how can the president claim he is fighting corruption and yet clear people of corruption allegations when there are no proper investigations. Even if there are committees to investigate these corruptions, people in the center of these allegations are cleared by the President before the investigations are concluded so my impression is that the president have very good record for cover- up.”



The NDC General Secretary also explained that the President as part of his credentials, has been President of Ghana Bar Association and has been in Parliament for close to a decade, is aware that when an issue is before a committee for an investigation, “we don’t comment and pass judgment like the way he did, so what again is the committee going to investigate” he rhetorically asked Bright Kwesi Asempa, the host of Onua FM morning show.

“Your deputy minister alleged that the whole deal was cooked at the Flagstaff House for them to implement, so issue like this do you have to allow for an independent investigation or clear those who are involved. There are too many cover ups in this government.”

"In my estimation, the President on Wednesday just succeeded in diverting attention from major corruption issues afflicting the Nana Addo led government, especially when all those corruption allegations did not pass through the Procurement Ministry created by this government, he concluded.



Meanwhile, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has counseled the President to scrap the press encounter if he thinks he does not have time for Ghanaians. This he said in response to statement made by the Information minister Mustapha Hamid at the Press encounter on Wednesday urging journalists to adhere to the rule of asking just one question.



“This shows that they don’t take Ghanaians seriously by that statement. Who forced them to organize the press encounter and if they know they don’t have time call the press at the first place."