Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah
Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a former Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has slammed president Nana Akufo-Addo over the hardship Ghanaians are going through under his watch.
He said on #tonTonSansan on TV XYZ that President Akufo-Addo is “acting as though he’s living in a fool’s paradise” for disputing that there is no hardship in the country.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused former president John Mahama of fueling a perception of hardship in the country with his ‘thank you’ tour.
Director of Communication for the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, made the assertion at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Friday, August 20, 2021, adding that the country is in a good state.
The former Adentan MP noted that President Akufo-Addo was working hard to increase productivity and improve livelihoods.
“We are not frightened of John Mahama, we know he cannot manage the economy, so we can’t let him poison your minds because if you’re sitting your somewhere and they keep telling you ‘oh it is bad, Ghana is hard, there is corruption, Ghana is hard’. Then sometimes, you think it’s true,” Asamoa stated.
However, Afriyie Ankrah who said he is being bombarded with requests for financial assistance disagreed with the NPP, saying the defenders of the government get “free money and fuel” so they don’t feel “the heat” like the average Ghanaian.
“The majority of Ghanaians cannot buy petrol. Look, we politicians who are well known and like to help people get requests every day. The requests have gone up a thousand folds; sometimes someone calls you and begs for 20 cedis to be able to cater for his wife and children. People are really suffering,” he told host Prince Minkah.
He continued, “People cannot pay for their wards’ fees, their rent, people are suffering only for the president to speak like this. It is unfortunate because he has free money to enjoy with his family.”
Afriyie Ankrah said, unlike the numerous promises the NPP-led Akufo-Addo made to Ghanaians, life has become unbearable for most Ghanaians as joblessness heightens while the president and his cohorts controlling affairs of the country live lavish lives.
Agitations
Agitations are soaring among labour unions as president Nana Akufo-Addo comes under fire for the low base pay increments for public sector workers for 2021 and 2022.
The 4% increment of the National Daily Minimum Wage to ¢12.53, which is a 6% increment on the 2020 figure of ¢11.82.
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 was staged 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.
Recently, the group held a press conference calling for one million signatures to cast a vote of no confidence in the country’s 1992 constitution.