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Opinions of Monday, 2 January 2017

Columnist: Lungu, Prof.

Tell us furniture collector Fadi Dabbousi is not Akufo-Addo's Gate-Keeper!

By: Prof Lungu

"...What we are telling Tullow is that they need to hold on the signing of all pending contracts until the new administration takes over... We are reliably informed, and let Ghanaians be too, that the outgoing ambassador of Ghana to...Saudi Arabia...is busily packing furniture and other properties belonging to the State...to be shipped to his residence in Egypt...Obviously, the (Tullow) vessel contracts are over-bloated and would have to be toned down to reasonable levels before any business continues... We serve notice that this is a criminal act against the government and good people...", Fadi Dabbousi, 29/31 Dec 16.


Dear reader, for those of us at the Ghana Institute for Governance and Security (GIGS) and the Fair-Trade Oil Share Ghana (FTOS-Gh/PSA) Campaign, who, warned Mr. Mahama and his NDC party that the predatory oil contract system they've used over the past 5 years for Ghana's oil have caused a loss of more than $6 billion in oil revenues to Ghana, the recent online antics by NPP propagandist, Fadi Dabboussi, is not only amusing, it is quickly getting to be a disgrace on the record-to-be of Akufo-Addo's in-coming government.

Therefore, all NPP supporters and fair-minded Ghanaians must stand up now and demand prioritized action by Akufo-Addo with respect to the crooked oil contract system left by Mr. Mahama and his defeated NDC government.

The FTO-Gh/PSA Campaign believe strongly that gaining $6 billion more in oil revenues for Ghana is a lot more important to Ghana than collecting second hand cars and used furniture from a ship on the docks in Saudi Arabia that the departing Ghana ambassador (Mr. Sa’id Sinare) has reportedly ordered to be shipped to Egypt.

Therefore, considering Fadi Dabbousi's (1) baffling selective attention to contracts that he Fadi wants delayed apparently for his own benefit until Akufo-Addo assumes power, and (2) his agenda of nakedly cherry-picking minor cases to pursue when a major case of more significance to Ghana begs for attention, we must ask Serious Akufo-Addo (and Mr. Fadi Dabbousi) what exactly is their agenda with respect to Ghana's oil contracts.

Here are our 5 (five) questions for Nana Akufo-Addo Dankwa:

(1) Is Serious Akufo-Addo still in electioneering mode and being channeled by Fadi Dabbousi with those one-sided attacks on individuals and Tullow, effort that in our professional opinion, will most likely not amount to a hell of beans in the pocket book of Ghanaians?

(2) Is Serious Akufo-Addo (and Mr. Fadi Dabbousi) truly interested in getting to the bottom of the oil contracts and Act 619, the 2016 Oil Petroleum Exploration and Production bill enacted by Mr. Mahama and his NDC party barely 3 months before the elections that have thus far netted the foreign oil companies (KOSMOS and Tullow) over 80% of all oil revenues, whilst Ghana, owner of all that oil, got to keep just 17% of those oil revenues?

(3) Is Serious Akufo-Addo and the NPP, as the "new" government of Ghana, going to allow that predatory and fraudulent Act 619, the 419 Ghana Oil racket, and continued loss of oil revenues to Ghana of about $1.25 billion a year?

(4) Does Fadi Dabbousi really care about a Fair-Share oil contract system for Ghana? Does Fadi Dabbousi understand that unlike the so-called Ghana Hybrid System, under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) favored by GIGS, the FTOS-Gh/PSA Campaign, and the US Government Accounting Office, even if contracts are padded, those padded costs, however large, are reported to government as cost of doing business, that those over-charges can be denied and reversed by government?

(5) Or, is Serious Akufo-Addo (and Mr. Fadi Dabbousi) merely interested in Tullow "contract amount...$25,000 (twenty five thousand US Dollars) per vessel...to two companies to provide four vessels to conduct...repair works on the turret bearing...", and/or second hand furniture that may or may not be in a foreign port awaiting shipment?

Deal with the major, Nana Akufo-Addo Dankwa!

Deal with the major, not the minor, Mr. Fadi Dabbousi!

In closing, from GIGS, the FTOS-Gh/PSA Campaign, and all of our supporters and well-wishers, we say, give us a break, Fadi Dabbousi!

Even so, however we slice and dice it, in Fadi Dabbousi-speak, we are all inclined to agree:

"...the blood of the Ghanaian is rather being siphoned than the oil in our earth...".

But, clearly, a $6,000,000,000 billion loss in oil revenue over 5 years is a whole lot of money lost to Ghana than even 25 (twenty-five) $25,000 padded contracts during 365 days for work that must in fact be done on a bearing attached to an off-shore oil rig, cost that can be denied if Ghana were to institutionalize a PSA to regulate exploration and production of Ghana oil and gas.


Or, is Fadi Dabbousi on a Tullow shake-up mission, we must regretfully ask?


What gives, Nana Akufo-Addo Dankwa?


What gives, Ghana?


So it goes, Ghana!


Wishing all of you a super successful New Year 2017!


Peace!


Sources:
1. Fadi Dabbousi. Stop Tullow now! Do not sign pending corrupt contracts - Part I & II, (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Stop-Tullow-now-Do-not-sign-pending-corrupt-contracts-Part-II-497704).

2. Fadi Dabbousi. Sa’id Sinare, Do not Steal Embassy Property in Saudi Arabia, (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Sa-id-Sinare-do-not-steal-Embassy-property-in-Saudi-Arabia-497314).


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SUBJ: Tell us furniture collector Fadi Dabbousi is not Akufo-Addo's Gate-Keeper!, by Prof Lungu.
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