President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has condemned a reference to himself and his home townsfolk as ‘Akyem Mafia’ and ‘Sakawa’ people by opposition MP Isaac Adongo, which was amplified by former President John Dramani Mahama, who shared it on his Facebook timeline a few days ago.
The Bolgatanga Central MP, in a statement relating to the controversial Agyapa Roylaties deal, accused the President and his kith of forming a families-and-friends cartel to capture the mineral resources of the state via the deal.
At a meeting with the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference at the Jubilee House on Friday, 4 August 2020, President Akufo-Addo not only said he was “very disturbed” by the ethnocentric tagging his ethnic group, but also said “that is the kind of language we don’t want in our politics.”
Sometimes, one would hope when things come out, people will comment on them. The comment made by my opponent: ‘Akyem Sakawa’ people, I have not heard any public figure in this country or anybody comment on it.”
“If I was to get up to make a comment about northerners or Gonjas, you can imagine the uproar that will be in the country,” the President bemoaned.
According to him, free speech must not be seen from the perspective of allowing the opposition to go at the government at the least opportunity.
If you criticise the government, no matter what you say, it is legitimate. If the government is to respond, that is somehow illegitimate”, the President complained, adding: “If the President opens his mouth and says something that is unacceptable, he should be reprimanded. In the same way, opposition politicians, if they conduct themselves by their utterances in an unacceptable manner, they should be brought to book.”
In his statement, Mr Adongo described the Agyapa Royalties deal as a “big fraud on Ghana” by President Nana Akufo-Addo and the ‘Akyem Mafia’.
Parliament, in line with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act, 2018 (Act 978), recently approved some agreements to allow the country to derive maximum value from its mineral resources and monetise the mineral income accruing to Ghana in a sustainable and responsible manner.
The move gives Agyapa Royalties Limited the right to secure about $1 billion to enable the government to finance large infrastructural projects.
The Minority in Parliament boycotted the deal and accused the government of mortgaging Ghana’s gold resources.
Former President John Mahama, flagbearer of the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), also reiterated the Minority’s concerns and said he will not respect the deal should he win the 7 December 2020 polls.
Below is Mr Adongo’s statement which was also shared on Facebook by Mr Mahama:
Hon Isaac Adongo writes;
Agyapa Royalties Fraud Is The Last Straw: The Akyem Sakawa Boys and Grandpas Must Go
Agyapa royalties deal is a big fraud on Ghana by Akufo-Addo and the Akyem Mafia. You mortgaged Getfund proceeds in excess of GHS25 billion for the next 10 years to borrow $1.5 billion and yet you could not expand educational infrastructure and build new schools to end double track, you mortgaged bauxite buried on the ground to Sinohydro to borrow $2 billion but has nothing to show after almost 2 years, you mortgaged ESLA proceeds for the next 10 years’ worth in excess of GHS30 billion in 10 years to raise energy sector bonds of about $1.3 billion and yet energy sector debts remain unpaid and you have since accumulated over $ 2 billion additional energy sector debt with power producers threatening to shut their power plants.
Source: Ghanaweb.com
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