‘Did you borrow to support Ukraine?’ – Haruna Iddrisu asks Ofori-Atta

The leader of the Minority Caucus of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has refuted assertions that the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic are the cause of the hardships in the country.

According to Haruna Iddrisu, the only cause of Ghana’s economic challenges is Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta whose unbridled borrowing has led the country to this economic crisis.

“We are told that he did well and that we are told that we should blame COVID and Ukraine. Did we borrow to support Ukraine? You didn’t borrow to support Ukraine.

"And you want us to accept your reckless and irresponsible borrowing which has led us to where we are,” he said on the floor of Parliament while moving a vote of censure motion for the removal of Ofori-Atta.

Haruna Iddrisu, who is the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, said that the finance minister has borrowed so much that the country must restructure its debts in order to survive.

He intimated that Ghanaians should ignore the assurance given to them by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that they will not lose parts of their investment in government bonds and other investment portfolios because of the ongoing economic crisis.

“You are in a ditch. Mr. Speaker the Ghanaian economy is a ditch. Accept it or not, we may have to restructure our debt in order to sustain this economy in the next two, three years.

“I heard the president, Mr. Speaker, in the address to the nation say that there will be no haircut. There will be and there will be a barber of a sort, that barber may be ‘sika mpɛ dede’,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has referred a vote of censure motion filed by the Minority for the removal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to an 8-member ad hoc committee

The committee is expected to make a determination on the removal of Ofori-Atta within 7 days.

The speaker announced that the committee will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.

Alban Bagbin added that the determination of Ofori-Atta’s removal will be made in consultation with the leadership of the House.

The other Members of the committee from the minority caucus include the MP for North Tongu; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; MP for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.

The committee members from the majority caucus are MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah; MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.

Watch the MPs remarks below:

"Did you borrow to support Ukraine?" - Haruna Iddrisu quizes Ken Ofori-Atta#KenMustGo #TV3GH pic.twitter.com/7siPus4ZD8

— #TV3@25 (@tv3_ghana) November 10, 2022