Indeed, Mahama won’t behave as ‘a clearing agent’

I felt numb momentarily upon perusing through former President Mahama’s recent
anti-corruption sermon, in which he is promising somewhat melodiously to take a
strong stance against bribery and corruption scandals on the assumption of office.

Former President Mahama is on record to have asserted somewhat tunefully that
unlike the current president, he will clamp down on bribery and corruption and won’t behave as a ‘clearing agent’.

To be quite honest, I am struggling to find any euphemistic words that will depict my astonishment over Mahama’s seemingly euphonious anti-corruption sermon. I am indeed besotted. Wonders shall never end, our elders say.

Anybody who has a passing familiarity with the revoltingly ugly events that took place during the erstwhile NDC administration would be extremely
surprised to hear that former President Mahama is evocatively accusing his successor of not doing enough to combat corruption.

Dearest reader, take my word for it, I am not seeking to ‘play God’ and pass judgment, far from it. But for the sake of balanced annotation and to set the records straight, I shall grub into the regrettable events that took place during former President Mahama’s maladaptive administration.

Wasn’t former president Mahama, who secretly accepted a brand new Ford Expedition vehicle worth over $100,000 from a Burkinabe Contractor called Djibril Kanazoe, whom he allegedly showered with Government of Ghana contracts?

Isn’t Mahama who is being accused of alleged corruption scandals such as SADA,
GYEEDA, SUBA, NCA, SSNIT, the infamous Bus Branding, the Brazil World Cup, the
STX housing deal, the Brazilian aircraft, the Ford Expedition Vehicle, the Armajaro saga, among others?

If you may recall, in the infamous Bus branding, it was the late Dzifa Ativor who
voluntarily resigned and it wasn’t the anti-corruption crusader, former President
Mahama took a strong stance and sacked her from his government.

Besides, the suspects in the GYEEDA and SSNIT scandals were convicted and
sentenced to prison a few years ago under the current NPP administration.

The crucial question every concerned Ghanaian should be asking then is: How many
opposition bribery and corruption suspects did Mahama arraign before a competent
court of jurisdiction during his tenure in office?

Sometime in 2021, I thought I was dreaming when I chanced on the news of the
misappropriation of a $175 million loan facility secured in 2012 which was meant to provide seven district hospitals. But I was not. I was wide awake. The Mahama
administration indeed misapplied the loan facility on the blind side of Ghanaians.

Wasn’t the Mahama administration that surreptitiously diverted $6 million of the $175 million loan facility meant to provide seven district hospitals to research the then governing NDC’s chances of winning the 2016 general elections?

The clandestine research was allegedly carried out by the United Kingdom-based SCL Social, the mother company of Cambridge Analytica.

According to the report, although SCL Social was given $6 million to carry out a
nationwide survey to provide appropriate data for the proper planning of the
healthcare needs of Ghana, the NDC government led by Ex-President Mahama deemed
it fit to divert the loan facility for their internal research at the expense of the sick and infirm Ghanaians. How insensitive?

The contractors, SCL Social, admitted: “The work consists of two discrete political and public health elements. The political element is testing the attitudes and perceptions of the population towards contemporary issues faced in Ghana and public confidence in the capacity and competence of the current administration to implement appropriate timely solutions. As well as the current level of satisfaction regarding the performance of the NDC at the district, regional, and national level is also tested and the research incorporates how this may translate into future electoral success.”

The vineyard news had it that during his State of the Nation Address on 19th February 2009, the late President Mills informed the Parliament that his government was looking into the decision to acquire two executive Presidential jets.

However, the late President Mills had doubts over the acquisition of the aircraft later on and thus observed: "Ghana simply cannot afford the expenditure at this time and we certainly do not need two Presidential Jets" (thestatesmanonline.com, 16/06/2016).

Astonishingly, whilst the late Mills was joyfully delivering his euphonious State of the Nation address, Vice President John Mahama, who also happened to be the chairman of the Armed Forces Council, was blissfully entertaining delegations from Brazil and busily negotiating the acquisition of five jets, including the most expensive hangar without the knowledge of the late President Mills.

Unsurprisingly, the late President Mills became suspicious of the whole deal and
decided to put a committee together to review the deal, according to Martin Amidu, the Attorney General under the Mills/Mahama administration.

According to Martin Amidu, the late Mills could not put his foot down and woefully allowed the committee to somehow turn a blind eye to his directives (Source: martinamidu.com).

If you may also remember, a few years ago, four courageous Ghanaians petitioned the then Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu to probe into the alleged E.O. Group’s $13 million corporate social responsibility fund towards the development of the Western Region which the petitioners claimed to have been diverted by Ex-President Mahama (See: ‘Mahama diverted $13m E.O. Group money; probe him – Four citizens petition Amidu’-todaygh. com/ghanaweb.com, 18/06/2018).

As if that was not enough, a group of patriotic Ghanaians petitioned the Special
Prosecutor to probe the alleged oil money of GH40.5 million which was surreptitiously transferred to the presidency, via the then Chief of Staff (See: ‘Group explains why Amidu must probe Mahama, Debrah in GH¢40.5m BOST payment’;
myjoyonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 19/09/2018).

In 2012, the Parliament of Ghana approved a loan of 200 million United States dollars, an equivalent of 2.3 billion Ghana Cedis to build 5000 affordable housing units.

However, the erstwhile Mahama administration readjusted the original contract on the blind side of the Parliament of Ghana and initially reduced the housing units to 1502 and further reduced to 1412.

What is more worrying though, is that the outgone Mahama administration ridiculously used the 200 million United States dollars(GH2.3 billion) to build only 668 housing units instead of 5,000.

What is more, following the embarrassing Airbus bribery and corruption scandal
between 2009 and 2015, President Akufo-Addo tasked the then Special Prosecutor,
Martin Amidu to establish the identity of the said Government Official One who
allegedly took bribes in the international thematic report.

The Special Prosecutor sadly concluded in 2020 that the said Government Official 1 in the Airbus bribery scandal was the former president and the 2020 flagbearer of NDC, John Dramani Mahama.

The report however stressed that since we were in the election period and the said protagonist was a presidential candidate, the Office of the Special Prosecutor was not in a position to take any immediate action.

Nevertheless, the current Special Prosecutor is seriously probing into the alleged involvement of former President Mahama in the Airbus bribery and corruption scandal between 2009 and 2015.

Fellow Ghanaians, we cannot and must not sit aloof and allow the manipulating geezers to take us for a ride; let’s put them under strict scrutiny.

Some observers believe that former President Mahama has alleged bribery and corruption scandals hanging around his neck more than any other president in the history of Ghanaian politics.

In the end, Ex-President Mahama and his teeming supporters can keep claiming birthright to incorruptibility, but discerning Ghanaians can only take him seriously if he comes clean on the alleged bribery and corruption scandals.

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