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Opinions of Tuesday, 6 June 2017

Columnist: Rockson Adofo

Former President Mahama is a disgrace to the nation

Former President John Dramani Mahama Former President John Dramani Mahama

I cannot get my head around how and why Ghana came to be ruled by former President John Dramani Mahama, a man who claims inability to think things through properly and cannot take any intelligent decision himself since his infancy. He was a disaster and a curse to the nation for all too obvious reasons.

During the entire period of his presidency, he orchestrated, if not masterminded, acts of corruption. He mismanaged the affairs of the nation and saw the nation’s little money as his personal wealth, using it anyhow. His wife (Lordina Mahama) and his younger brother (Ibrahim Mahama, alias Pepeni no. I & 2) were no exceptions to involvement in the institutional corruption perpetrated and perpetuated by Mr John Dramani Mahama.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back is his tenacity to perpetrate his corrupt practices despite a public outcry. He ordered the immediate employment of many people about three days to his final exit from power. Additionally, he contracted a company in Dubai, where he is alleged to have personal businesses (a hotel and other companies) to supply the presidency forty-three armoured saloon cars at a total cost of US$9 million. This contract was signed three days to his official handing over of the reins of government to President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Does former President Mahama take all Ghanaians for fools or what? Why should he order the cars knowing he was just about to exit power having lost the election and with the transition team completed their work?

He did not consult the incoming President before placing the order for the cars. What was his real motive behind the contracting of a company in Dubai to supply Ghana’s presidency the said 43 cars?

Is the cost of the vehicles value for money? Are the cars of excellent quality? Could they not have been purchased cheaper from elsewhere at the same quality or of much better quality? These are some of the questions former President Mahama must be prepared to answer.

Why on earth and under the Sun and the moon should a departing President, a known corrupt person, go his own way to order cars for the nation under such dubious circumstances? Has he not done to Ghana again what he did when he was tasked by his boss, the late President Evans Atta Mills, to purchase the Ghana Armed Forces five Embraer planes from Brazil? He was alleged to have short-changed Ghana consequent upon which President Mills set up a committee to investigate and in less than no time; President Mills kicked the bucket to join his ancestors in the land of the dead.

President Mahama is very disgusting due to his infatuation with corruption. He knew why he ordered the cars. It was all about inflating the cost to swindle Ghana of some money. He is insatiably greedy. No wonder Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was/is his buddy. What a clear sense of birds of the same feathers flocking together!

I put it to former President Mahama that he stood to profit personally from the purchase of the cars or else, he had no business ordering them. In most cases, especially in the civilized Western countries, as soon as an election is conducted and the incumbent President loses it, he does not take any major decisions let alone, ordering new items for the incoming President/government. He leaves such decisions for the incoming President/government to make. Why should Ghana be different? Is it because we are less civilized not to have strong functioning institutions to inform us of such administrative ethics where failing, one gets punished?

Yes, we shall not accept the cars. Yes, President Nana Akufo-Addo’s NPP-led government has every right to abrogate the contract with the Dubai car dealer because the contract was made in bad faith.

I have never come across in the history of Ghana a President as corrupt as former President John Dramani Mahama who thinks life is all about being corrupt. I say, shame on him.

Should the government be sued for breach of contract by the Dubai car dealer, we, the citizens of Ghana will drag him to court regardless of the nonsensical immunity clause dubiously inserted into the Ghana 1992 Constitution by former President J. J. Rawlings to shield thieves like former President Mahama from prosecution. What a mistake!!!