Former President John Dramani Mahama
The NDC Tema East branch executive member, Mr. Stephen Ashitey Adjei, alias Moshake, has called on the National Security establishment to invite and question former President John Mahama over his prediction that Ghana will experience famine next year.
In a write-up, Mr. Ashitey-Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, accuses the former President of instigating fear and panic in the country with his prophecy of doom, asking the authorities to bring him to order.
“I call on the Minister of National Security, Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah, to invite the former President immediately and question him on this fear-mongering which is capable of plunging this country into unrest. And if he does not respond to the invitation, then he should be arrested,” Mr. Ashitey Adjei wrote.
He added that, “suchlike statements need not be overlooked because they have led to wars and uprisings in other parts of the world; for example, the atrocious Liberian civil war broke out over the speculation about rice prices.”
Former President John Mahama recently claimed that Ghana is likely to face famine next year because of the Akufo-Addo government’s poor handling of the country’s Agriculture.
He made the prediction while interacting with the people of Dormaa in the Bono Region during his thank you tour claiming that the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs program is originally his government’s policy.
“Before this government came in, we had an arrangement with Canada. They were giving us funding for agriculture because they had realised that it was the sector creating more jobs.”
“When they came into office, they named it PFJ. It was originally a programme that we were working on. They just came and continued it,” he said.
He added, “Planting for Food and Jobs has failed. There will be famine in Ghana next year. The Canadian funding has been exhausted and we need to find alternative funding to sustain the programme but there is no money at the Ministry of Finance.
“Prices for food crops are going up astronomically,” he added.
According to Moshake, the prediction, “is rather hollow and impulsive sounding which is totally unbecoming of a former President.”
He adds, “that Mr. Mahama should have known better and therefore he must be asked to explain how he came to this gloomy conclusion that can spark an Arab Spring in Ghana.”
Moshake pointed out that there has not been a single intellectual or scientific report that indicates that Ghana will start facing famine from next year pointing out the prediction by the former President is, “dangerous.”
The NDC Executive member also pointed out that the government has debunked the claim. Indeed Deputy Minister of Agric, Yaw Frimpong Addo, has said the claims are unnecessarily pessimistic.
According to Mr. Addo, Ghana is only experiencing food shortages that are recurrent in every normal yearly cycle. “Food shortage, yes, but we don’t have a food crisis. I’m telling you that during the planting season every year, it has been like this. Just that this year because of Covid-19 and fertilizer production, everything about fertilizer (things have been intense).”
He also asks Ghanaians to count their blessings saying compared to other countries in Africa, Ghana is far better off.
“Go to our neighbouring countries and see how they are suffering under Covid-19 in agriculture. We are even fortunate and they even had to come to Ghana and take some foodstuffs away. We have done so well with the Planting for Food and Jobs. That has saved the situation. That is why we are talking this way. Otherwise, we would also be in the same soup as they are.”
“Let’s count our blessings and reduce this pessimistic thing about hunger. We are not going to experience any hunger in the country that I can assure you.”