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Opinions of Monday, 27 July 2020

Columnist: Umar Farouk

The GHC54.3 million scam

The few Ghanaians, who are extremely distressed at the acceleration at which the Ghanaian economy is retrogressing under this extravagant and lavished spenders in government, are now strongly established and vindicated in full glimpse of the limelight. The expenditure on food during the corona virus lockdown has clearly exposed the NPP government big time.

The ordinary Ghanaian on the street, I mean the commonest layman, walking in the teeming and bustling streets of Circle, Kaneshie, Cantoment, Adum and Kejetia, does not need an erudite economist, in the likes of Bawumia, to purvey lies and falsehood in an attempt to explain to them the breakdown of the huge sum of the public money spent on the less privileged and the vulnerable during the less than a month lockdown, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. These people were not even fed and nourished well enough.

It’s fully certain and convinced that the GHS 54.3 million is a scam. The figure was concocted and manipulated to sum up the careless spendings and embezzlements by the NPP government. This government is a first class in needless spendings. The financial devastation caused by Nana’s government is unprecedented in the history of Ghana. It trounces every previous government in misusing the taxpayers money. This administration is on the same wavelength as the Acheampong’s regime. The corruption, misspending and mismanagement are too alarming and conspicuous to everyone, unless you want to be a hypocrite to defend this government.

The GHS 16.9 billion increment in our debt stocks in less than eight years, as compared to Mahama’s eight years administration is another undisputed fact of huge spendings in Nana Addo’s administration, which has so little to account for. This government is full of merciless spendthrifts, who squander our money nonchalantly, as long as their whims and caprices are satisfied. A good example of such whims is the building of a cathedral, at the expense of schools and hospitals for the general welfare of the entire taxpayers. The cathedral built with our money is sidelined to other taxpayers with different faith in God.

This is why advanced countries, eg. USA, have built an indomitable wall between religion and state. The state do not meddle in religious activities, likewise the reverse is also true . Let alone waste taxpayers hard earned money on putting up a structure for religious purposes. NPP ought to surpass these comical appeal to amass future votes in elections by clutching to religion. The sole priority of the Ghanaian government is the secular advancement and development of the country by improving the lives of the ordinary Ghanaians. We would have elected a bishop if we needed a cathedral, instead of schools, hospitals, roads, security, electricity and water.

Let us not court sympathy for this family managed administration. Nana Addo and Bawumia have demonstrated their best, and I can solemnly testify that, their best is next to gross incompetence, because nothing is working in Ghana now. Ghana is at a standstill. Businesses are collapsing and going out everyday. People are broke with no money to afford basic necessities like food and shelter. More and more people are becoming homeless.

A stitch in time saves nine. Ghana must not sink for a few family members. Every Ghanaian has the right to take equitably from the national cake, therefore, it should not be left in the hand of a handful people. Let us go out there and register in our numbers and do something meaningful about the situation.