Affected savings and loans customers threaten to vote Akufo-Addo government out

The Coalition of Affected Savings and Loans Customers (CASLOC) have reiterated their readiness to vote out the Akkufo Addo led-government in the 2020 polls for failing to address the plight of about 3.3 million depositors of the closed-down financial institutions.

They argued that if less than a hundred thousand customers of DKM and the likes could send NDC to opposition in 2016, then unarguably over 3.3 million depositors who haven't received their locked-up funds will do same in the upcoming election.

According to the group, majority of CASLOC members still have their cash locked-up after several months after the financial clean-up exercise undertaken by Bank of Ghana.

Ezekiel Annor Akagbo, Secretary of the Group, told Class News' Maxwell Attah that government's ‘namby-pamby’ approach is not enough in retrieving their cash.

According to him, the negative effects of the financial sector clean-up have consumed almost all the prospects and achievements of the NPP government, hence, the massive hardships being experienced by the majority of the citizenry

A survey conducted by CASLOC indicates that voter apathy is crippling into its members and their dependents because of their inability to access their locked up funds, Mr. Annor Akagbo mentioned.

“Over half of us can be said to have had very strong affinity with the ruling government. This affinity can be seen to be dwindling as a result of the untold hardships being experienced by us as a result of the financial sector clean up exercise”, he bemoaned.

He, therefore, appealed to the government to expedite action on the payments of locked-up cash early enough to help regained back confidence from those ardent sympathisers.

At a press conference held earlier in Kumasi on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, CASLOC called on churches, cooperate bodies and organizations that have their funds locked up with insolvent financial institutions including savings and loans companies, finance houses and microfinance institutions to engage the government through every possible means and avenue in retrieving locked up funds.

They also implored directors and shareholders of the rural and community banks across the country to come out boldly on the issue, adding “because our checks indicate that the majority of the rural and community banks in the country also have their funds locked up in these collapsed financial institutions."

Again, the group made a clarion call on the Council of State, Parliament, Former Presidents, the National House of Chiefs, the National Peace Council, the Catholic Bishops Council, the Christian Council, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, the National Chief Imam and Opinion Leaders in the country to add their voice to the issues pertaining to their locked up funds in order to aid them retrieve their cash from the government as soon as possible.