Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, has publicly disagreed with the President Akufo-Addo on the claim that all was well with his government and does not need a reshuffle. He insisted that the government urgently needs a “drastic surgery” to save the nation, particularly the economy.
He noted that, the Finance Minister and others in-charge of the economy, should be held responsible for the current economic woes of the country.
Reacting to the President’s stance, Mr Agyapong, said no one wants Ofori-Atta’s job, but rather they seek the economic health of the country.
In an interview with Accra-based Kessben TV, Mr Agyapong, said Treasury bill rates are back up by 29 percent, “Inflation is over 32 percent, so we’re in dangerous territory. So the only major thing the President can do is to arrest the situation and clear out the managers of the economy.
“It is a fact, that is what is left for him to do. You can’t let the same people who have driven us to this stage remain in office.”
“Nobody is looking for Ken Ofori-Atta’s job. We are looking for the economic health of this country. Some of us have to stand up and be counted. I will rather die speaking the truth than be populist because I’m a member of the NPP,” he added.
He would not understand why over 25 billion was used to solve a GHC10 billion banking sector problem, adding the eight banks that went down, needed not more than the GHc10 billion about 12% to stay on their feet, keep jobs and be able to pay depositors their money, but the Finance Ministry spent over GHC25 billion which is 55% to shut them down.
He blamed the NDC for the mess in the banking sector which started in 2016. He attributed the situation to bad reporting, but insisted that not more than GHC10 billion was needed to clean up the system. He revealed that he was told this by experts and had also done some research on the subject.
He likened the situation to someone whose car had developed a fault, but spent more money repairing the car, instead of buying a new one which was less in terms of price.
He revealed how some of the auditors who worked on the cleanup were overpaid, raising the quantum of the money spent on the cleanup, adding questions have to be asked.
He insisted that there was something wrong with the economy, citing the lack of checks and balances even in the extractive sector, where gold leaving the shores of Ghana are under-declared.
According to him, he is aware of an international audit report available to the government which confirms a huge disparity between what is declared as leaving Ghana and what is refined in the international market, saying the country is losing huge revenue as result of lack of structures monitoring its extractive industry.
Mr Agyapong, was of the view that as a leader, the tone one sets and the value that one espouses robs of on the cabinet, the party and the country, saying he wasn’t happy with the comments of the president.
“You have to set a very high bar and demand results from your team. Never be satisfied and say that you think that …no especially when the results do not suggest that.
Asked about the peoples demand for reshuffle, he said as a political leader, one should not wait for the people to demand a reshuffle, but rather one has to look at the data and the signs; “the evidence is there”.
Kwabena Agyapong, has advised political appointees to stop being pompous over the positions given to them by the president.
The NPP stalwart reckons the country will have developed at a fast pace, if these political appointees take their full responsibilities, rather than mostly showing off.
“When we were behind Akufo-Addo in 1998, most of these guys were also in this country and they didn’t have faith in him. I am beginning to wonder whether they are serving him and serving the country. I am beginning to ask, are they truly NPP people? They do have NPP cards? I want to see when they signed onto this party which constituencies they belong to, because I think a lot of the key people around him don’t have this party at heart and they are damaging the party and damaging the country at the same time. This is going to damage the brand of the NPP.
“Those of us the patriots of our party, we have to stand up and say it. Life is not about positions. My life is not fashioned or determined by the positions I occupy. It is determined by the positive impact we make on society or people. If one day, I could make someone smile, in my view, I have done my work for the day.
“I hope the president is listening to me. His good friend, his campaign staffer in 1998. This is genuinely coming from the bottom of my heart. He should not allow people who don’t have this country at heart to sink this country. He’s worked too hard for this country for 40 years to get to this stage. This is my sound advice to him. It is not too late. We can turn things around.
He was also unhappy with public officials purchasing US$175,000 land cruisers, despite the resolve of the government to go to the IMF, saying leadership must be by example. The government cannot be asking everyone to tighten their belts, while they buy cars. He demanded that those who purchase these cars must be fired, especially when the Ghana cedis is in a tailspin.
“There is a run on the money and things must be regulated. We must be on a war footing”.
Reacting to the recent development agitation in Kumasi, Kwabena Agyapong stressed that, the shame of pelting sachet water at the Suame MP, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu by some residents of the Suame constituency, could have been avoided if some political appointees had taken their expected responsibilities.
He blamed the National Security office for not being proactive enough about such issues.
According to him, failure of intelligence gathering caused that, and if they were to be proactive, the situation could have been avoided with the rightful responsibilities taken.
The high-ranking member of the NPP, avers the president of Ghana ought to take some drastic decisions amid the economic crisis in Ghana.
Mr Agyapong told Kwame Appiah Kubi of Kessben FM, that the onus lies on him to always speak the truth, irrespective of the party which is in government, saying he will rather die speaking the truth than be drumming the sound of populism.
The former Presidential Press Secretary to the John Agyekum Kufour’s Government, conceded the fact that things have taken a nose dive under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo.
Mr Agyapong, onetime a General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) revealed his interest to vie for the party’s flagbearership slot when the party opens nomination.
The Former General Secretary minced no words, saying he has matured in the party and believes he is ready to lead the party to elections 2024.
According to him, when it comes to the “aduru woso” tag, he is older than Vice President Dr Mahamud Bawumia in the NPP, so it’s his time to take the mantle of Leadership from President Akufo-Addo to break the 8.
Counting his records and service to the NPP, Mr Agyapong, believes the massive votes he obtained in his contest for the General Secretary position in Tamale, clearly gives him upper hand over the other Presidential hopefuls, including Dr Bawumia.
He noted that this clearly shows how the party grassroots have accepted him and he is more than committed to lead the Party to victory in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
