President Nana Akufo-Addo has reportedly failed miserably in his efforts to combat corruption, according to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking on Monday at the University of Professional Studies in Accra under the title “The True State of the Nation Address,” Mr. Asiedu Nketiah claimed that many of the president’s officials—not just Vice President Alhaji Bawumia, whose name has surfaced in numerous corruption scandals—have grown more confident as a result of the president’s actions and complicity.
“President Akufo-Addo’s silence on corruption in his infamous address was loud. It was as loud as his guilt. Evidently, corruption has defeated his family and friends’ government. Instead of confronting this canker head-on, President Akufo-Addo has constituted himself into a “Corruption Clearing Agent”, ever-willing to whitewash himself and any of his appointees who dabble in corruption, even before investigative processes commence.
“The President’s actions and complicity have emboldened many of his officials, not least the Vice President, Alhaji Bawumia whose name has come up in multiple corruption scandals such as the PDS scandal, the shady Gold-for-Oil deal, the Stolen Rice scandal and the appearance fee scandal”.
Also, Mr. Asiedu Nketiah charged that the President had desecrated Ghana’s national honors by bestowing them upon dishonest members of his administration.
According to him, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, launched the awards program to recognize notable Ghanaians and institutions for their contributions to the nation’s progress.
For him, it was therefore unacceptable for the President to bestow such honors on dishonest people whose cases were up for scrutiny in Parliament.
He explained that awarding appointees whose corrupt acts are under investigation with national honours is tantamount to rewarding criminality, saying “Kwame Nkrumah did not establish the awards to reward criminality.”
