'I don't have any interest in Merchant Bank'

President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to the managements of Merchant Bank and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), to take diligent actions to retrieve all monies owed them without fear or favour.

He said: "I do not have any interest in the Merchant Bank, and I have no pesewa in there and I will urge Merchant Bank and SSNIT to go all out to retrieve their monies from debtors whether it is E&P or Aben Woha Organisation."

President Mahama who was answering questions at a news conference to mark the first year of his first term said, it was not true that he used his influence to ensure that the Merchant Bank was sold to other organisations.

The conference also gave the President the opportunity to outline some of his development plans for this year and beyond.

"At no point did I use my executive power to influence the sale of the Merchant Bank to anyone in this country and I want the Bank to initiate plans to retrieve its monies," President Mahama added.

On why he had to spend Christmas in a foreign land, President Mahama said that the labour laws engendered every worker including the President and Ministers of state to take annual leave and his leave was in fulfillment of that labour requirement.

He said addressing Ghanaians while on holidays, was in respect of the constitution, where it was only the President that could give New Year message and not the Vice President.

"There is nowhere in the constitution that says I can delegate the New Year message to Vice President and I just tried to respect that hence my message on the December 31, New Year message, " President Mahama added.

He said government had awarded all the uncompleted affordable housing projects initiated by the Kufour administration to the SSNIT to complete and sell to Ghanaian workers throughout the country.

Apart from that President Mahama said he had also cut the sod for the construction of 5000 new housing units, while another 5000 units would be inaugurated this year to increase housing for Ghanaians all over the country.

Asked what mark President Mahama would give himself in one year, he said he would leave the judgement to Ghanaians and his predecessor President John Evans Atta Mills might have rated himself in the past because of his background as a teacher who fancied figures.