Former Minister for Energy under the erstwhile NDC government, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has described the Akufo-Addo government as insensitive, following the growing hardship in the country.
Buah who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle said following several promises to the Ghanaian people ahead of the 2020 elections, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has forgotten about the plights of the citizens.
Speaking to Mugabe Maase on the Gumbe Show on TV XYZ, Buah noted that the challenges of Ghanaians were escalating with calls on legislators to embark on interventions that should have been rolled out by the government, decrying the cost of food and fuel coupled with corruption.
Assuring Ghanaians of a better alternative in his party, the NDC, the former minister stated that the Minority in parliament was very disappointed in the current government for failing to provide a good environment for businesses to thrive in the country, adding that despite touting the success of the government’s flagship programme- Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)- foodstuffs such as maize and rice were in short supply in the country.
He also observed that farmers in the country were not suffering from the government’s failure to distribute fertilizers but lacked good roads to transport their foodstuff to ready markets.
“Is it not the government that told us there was food in abundance? Recently, the Agric Minister came to Parliament to inform us the government was about importing maize to the country” he stated while exposing the “lies of the government.”
“What happened to the government’s flagship initiative?” he quizzed “We were able to increase local production of rice, fertilizers and poultry…but today, look at how the importation of rice has gone up.”
“Farmers in the country, especially in the Western Region, are unable to transport their farm produce to nearby urban areas to market them they’ve suffered to grow to markets in the urban areas due to the deplorable nature of roads”
He mentioned bad roads in Ellembelle had not been rehabilitated despite the government tagging this year as a ‘Year of Roads phase 2’, saying a forty-kilometre road in his constituency has stalled.
The purchasing power of Cocoa farmers has dwindled in cocoa-growing areas due to the government’s failure to pay farmers after purchasing their cocoa through its agents.
Buah indicated that was the reason the youth had been agitating for good leadership in the country, saying the NDC will rise up to the task and plan better policies as an alternative for Ghanaians.
“The way things are being messed under this government, if we [the NDC] don’t win power in 2024, Ghanaians will never forgive us,” Buah said in Akan.
Agitations
President Nana Akufo-Addo won a second term with only a small majority in parliament. His government has since been under pressure as the country struggles with economic troubles and heightening the cost of living worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.
Barely a month after he was sworn in, the government slapped Ghanaians with new taxes that have affected the cost of basic services and food, triggering youth agitations in the relatively peaceful country.
Several thousands of youth rallying behind an online protest, the #FixTheCountry campaign , hit the streets of Accra to embark on their much-talked-about protest.
The protesters, who had started piling pressure on the government over what they describe as bad governance, finally had the opportunity to march and express their dissatisfaction after the police that was blocking the march gave them permission to protest.
The group says the protest is to put pressure on the government to address the country’s numerous challenges, including youth unemployment and the rising cost of living in the country
Buah believes, the agitations from non-partisan citizens show that the Akufo-Addo has messed the country the previous government, under the leadership of John Mahama, was building to offer countless opportunities to Ghanaians especially the youth.
“The NPP only comes to power to destroy after we [NDC] have managed the country well for some time,” he stated.