Akufo Addo rallies media support to put govt on its toes
The flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, has called on the media to safeguard the country’s freedom and justice.
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He explained that the mass media have an important role to play in combating acute poverty that was having an adverse effect on the economy.
A founder member of the party, Mr Ayisi Boateng, who spoke on behalf of the NPP flag bearer at a media interaction in Kumasi last Sunday, said posterity would not forgive Ghanaians, especially the media, if the partnership among the media, civil societies, and political parties did nothing to uproot corruption.
Development agenda
He wondered how the media, a key partner in the country’s development agenda, which is supposed to hold the government accountable, could sit on the fence and pretend all was well without questioning the status quo.
Without necessarily cajoling the media, the NPP flag bearer said the return of the NPP to government hinged on the media’s continual exposé of the alleged corrupt practices and apparent misuse of international loans by the National Democratic Congress.
Current government
Nana Addo alleged, among other things, that international loans contracted for the country’s development had been largely misapplied by the current government, saying it was time the media put the government on its toes.
He said going for loans to develop the country in itself was not a bad idea but it was worrisome when the ‘people did not get value for money.’
The media interaction put together by the Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Ashanti Region also saw most of the prominent ones among them taking turns to address various pertinent national issues.
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Non-completion
Key among the issues was the non-completion of the Suhum-Apedwa road of the main Accra-Kumasi road which is a stretch described by some of them as a death trap.
President John Dramani Mahama, in an interview to mark his second year in office,however, corrected the apparent wrong impression of the government’s lack of interest in the completion of the road.
He said the project formed part of the ‘Gang 4’ project, which included the Sofoline Interchange in Kumasi under the Government of Ghana sponsorship.
The President explained that despite the funding difficulties, the idea of the contractor to tackle both carriages of the road at the same time was to blame for the delay.
Subsequently, the contractor has been instructed to complete work on a single carriage lane for use before working on the other.