Several people, have descended on the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison, over his condescending attitude and response to the protesters of the OccupyBoG movement, who called for his resignation and that of his two deputies, Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi.
Mahama Ayariga, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Members of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central and North Tongu respectively, have responded to the governor’s description of the demonstrators as “hooligans”.
The Minority Chief Whip, Obed Agbodza, who is the MP for Adaklu also joined the condemnation of the Central Bank head, calling him “a protected arrogant thief”.
But the biggest criticism of Dr Addison came from a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, who characterized him as “arrogant”.
In an open letter to the BoG Governor, Prof. Gyampo said, “Whether you resign or not, you would by all means, account one day, for your stewardship either in heaven or in hell or in prison or in your home.”
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“One thing is certain to me and must be clear in the minds of all if we survive 2024, the conduct of governance, politics and the management of our economy wouldn’t be business as usual. Things would change to the glory of God, for the betterment of lives of Ghanaians, and to the shame of wicked and incompetent leadership.”
This follows, Dr Addison’s dismissal of calls by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Minority caucus in Parliament for him to resign. In an interview with the international business website, Central Banking, he said he is not stepping down, describing the protest by the NDC as “completely unnecessary.”
“The Minority in parliament have many channels to channel their grievances in civilised societies, not through demonstrations in the streets as hooligans,” Dr. Addison added in reference to the #OccupyBoGProtest.
Mr Gyampo in the letter also said that the Governor spent about GH¢137 million on vehicle maintenance; collapsed over 400 banks and micro-finance companies; printed over GH¢700 trillion within 2 years; and depleted our foreign reserves.
“Yet you still want to determine how the tax payer reacts to your decision to choose excessive partisanship over competence?”
He said, Dr Addison’s attitude and response epitomized what his father referred to as impunity personified as the President and the Finance Minister, had similarly received several calls for their resignation, but had not responded arrogantly as the governor had.
“Please Governor, printing money does not make you owner of human life and human rights and respectfully, sir, you portray a certain high-level poverty, if all you have, is the money you have printed, which makes you arrogant in insulting taxpayers who are unhappy with your abysmal performance. This isn’t how Governors G.K Agamah, K. Dufuor, P. Acquah, and N. Ishahakku, handled the BoG. These chaps were simply sober and competent,” he added.
The MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, called on Dr Addison, to promptly retract his disparaging remarks and issue an apology to the OccupyBoG protesters.
In an interview on Accra-based Citi FM, Mr Ablakwa yesterday asserted, “He (Ernest Addison) must retract and apologise. And I can assure you that we take a very serious view of this matter. We condemn the statement he has made.”
“We are not going to take it lightly and on behalf of all the people we represent who are already outraged by those comments, we are going to make sure that this governor is removed from that position.”
The Minority Caucus in Parliament, has threatened to show the Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr Ernest Addison, “what hooligans do” following his response to the OccupyBoG demonstration.
The demonstration, which was held on Tuesday, October 3, was organized by the Minority Caucus, the opposition NDC and its supporters to protest the country’s economic crisis. The protesters accused Dr Addison of mismanagement and incompetence and called for his resignation.
But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show yesterday, October 5, Mahama Ayariga, condemned Addison’s response, accusing him of being arrogant and disrespectful to the Minority and the leadership of the NDC.
In his view, Dr Addison’s disrespectful response is a clear sign of frustration from a governor who is out of his depth and incapable of competently managing the affairs of the Central Bank.
“He says we are hooligans, so we will show him what hooligans do,” Ayariga told host Bernard Avle.
He added “I, Mahama Ayariga, I am saying that he will see what hooligans do, I don’t know what my colleagues [Minority MPs] will think but when we meet we will discuss and let you know. But I’m sure that having called us hooligans, he will get a response of hooligans.”
The Bawku Central MP, added that the minority group, will meet with the leadership of the NDC to decide the next line of action to hold the governor accountable for his “incompetence”.
The MP for the Adaklu constituency said he believed the Governor of the central bank was being shielded hence his remarks.
He warned that Dr Addison would soon be made to face the full rigours of the law.
“He’s a protected arrogant thief. His day to face justice will surely come,” Agbodza warned.
The Minority held a protest on Tuesday to demand the resignation of the BoG Governor and his deputies, following losses incurred by the apex bank, as well as an ongoing head office complex.
Leaders of the protest refused to hand over their petition to the head of security at the BoG instead of the Governor or his deputies. They have decided to continue protesting until Dr. Addison and his deputies resign.
