Sir John Scoffs At Mills’ Visit To Tema

General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, has pooh-poohed President Mills’ surprise visit to the Tema Port describing it as much ado about nothing since a similar visit to the Port in the past did not deter the officers from engaging in whatever nefarious activities he warned them against.

Sir John, as the NPP General Secretary is affectionately called, said the President’s reaction to ace Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ revelations in his latest video titled "Enemies of the Nation: The Dark Secrets of the Tema Port”, clearly shows how confused the government is. He accused the ruling administration of pillorying Anas in one breath, whiles trying to show to the public that they are appreciative of his work.

To buttress his point, he alluded to Anas’ exposé on the Osu Children’s Home last year and alleged that Hon E.T Mensah, the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, whose office had direct oversight responsibility over the Orphanage, vilified the ace undercover journalist for airing the video instead of lauding his efforts at uncovering child neglect and abuse.

“This government is a confused gov’t; they don’t know what they are doing…Were you not in this country when that incident occurred? So since when did they believe in this?,” he rhetorically questioned.

President Mills on Friday February 4th, paid an unannounced visit to the Tema Harbour where he expressed deep anger at the endemic corruption at the port and called for the institutionalization of an asset declaration regime at CEPS.

Clearly incensed by the startling revelations of bribery and graft uncovered by Anas, especially when security personnel charged with the statutory responsibility of uncovering corruption and raising revenue, were either sleeping on the job or were neck deep in the corrupt activities, President Mills charged the Port authorities to arrest anybody who dares come to transact business at the harbor in his name.

"There are people who come here throwing their weight around; dropping names of so-called higher ups. I have General Mordey and I am telling you if anybody comes here with the president's name the first thing you should do is to arrest that person," President Mills said.

But speaking on Akoko Abon, a political discussion programme on HelloFm in Kumasi, the NPP Chief Scribe impliedly stated the president, per his action, was acting for the cameras since it is an open secret that there is endemic corruption at the country’s ports. He was of the view that President Mills was pushed to pay that surprise visit to the port by some elements within his administration, and asserted that his angry posture and admonitions will definitely amount to nothing.

“Give him three days,…This is really much ado about nothing...This is a man who is confused; this is not governance,” he observed.

To him, the call for the institutionalization of an asset declaration regime at CEPS by the President, is just an attention-grabbing tactic.

“Even his very own Ministers close by, defied the fiat to declare their assets, how much more Customs officials? It’s just a PR gimmick, but unfortunately those pushing him to engage in all these (publicity stunts) are really not helping him…The man does not know what he’s about, no wonder some NDC stalwarts want him out. Tell me, what useful or fruitful thing ensued out of all those impromptu visits by the president “(last year)? None!...You know, when I heard of this (visit to the Tema Harbour), I laughed my head off, simply because they have no faith in Anas (based on past remarks made regarding some of his exposure of corrupt practices),” he said.