OccupyGhana, Others slam Prez Akufo-Addo

OccupyGhana, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure have criticised President Akufo-Addo for hailing the Chief Executive Officer of the Jospong Group of Companies.

The president in opposition had reportedly been a critic of the Jospong Group following allegations of corruptions in the award and execution of contracts in the immediate past NDC regime.

But during a visit to the Group’s waste treatment plant at Adjen Kotoku in the Greater Accra Region, the president said the contribution Jospong was making to the social life of Ghanaians was “inestimable”.

In what seems to be an allusion to recent corruption scandals that had rocked the group, the president said; “when you are at the forefront of doing things, like you are, you will be the subject of controversy, it goes with the territory. I know you a little bit, and I know you are capable of handling it. Stay focused”

But that seem to have drawn the ire of some anti-corruption crusaders in the country. Renowned Investigation journalist, Manasseh Azure was first to hit out at the president in an article titled, “Akufo-Addo’s immoral dance with Jospong”.

“As an opposition leader, you and your New Patriotic Party (NPP) campaigned against corruption and cited some of those involving Jospong as grand corruption schemes meant to steal money from the state. Just last week, your Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, mentioned GYEEDA and Subah as some of the corrupt acts by your predecessor, President John Dramani Mahama. For you to meet the man at the centre of these scandals and describe them as controversies that come with being at the forefront of doing things is very unfortunate. When you needed our votes, they were grand acts of corruption. Now that you have the power to deal with them, they are controversies that come with the terrain. There cannot be a clearer definition of double standards, Sir!” Manasseh wrote.

OccupyGhana has also criticized the president for what the group described as premature praise of Mr. Joseph Siaw and his group of companies. A member of the group, Mr. Kwaku Segbefia told Accra FM that the president praise of Jospong was out of place given the plethora of allegations that had been leveled against the group.

“We cannot say that the president erred in his comments. But, at least, we expected the president to have held on with his comments or praises due to the plethora of allegations of corruption levelled against that particular company.

“As we speak, no court has pronounced the company guilty of any corrupt act but we all have heard issues of allegations of corruption that have bedeviled that company, and, so, for us, we thought the president could have restrained himself with the commendations, at least, for now,” Mr. Segbefia stated.

Anti corruption group GII described the president’s “subtle endorsement” of the Group as disappointing.

Executive Secretary of the Group, Linda Ofori Kwafo, said the posturing of the president was worrying as investigations of corruption allegations against the group and some former government appointees seems to be delaying.

Source: thenationalpenonline/2017/Kwabena Rockson