Some NPP activists say my comments on the Akufo-Addo government are baseless. They are not! In November 2016, I wrote an article in which I said any idiot could use our money to build infrastructure and boast about that.
I did not see what Mahama had done as exceptional. In the same way, any idiot can use our money to pay school fees for SHS students. One does not need to be a genius to do that. The opportunity cost of John Mahama's infrastructure could have been the payment of fees.
It's just a matter of priority. My argument was, and still is, that there's more to leadership than using the tax payer's money to do things and boast.
The main problem with our country and continent is wastage resulting from greed and corruption. And that's why I was hopeful that an "incorruptible" and "no-nonsense" Akufo-Addo was the Messiah Ghanaians needed in the post-Mahama era to restore hope and decency into our national life.
That's why after two and a half years into Akufo-Addo's presidency, I hold the view that we bought nicely packaged key soap at Circle, thinking it was a smartphone.
There's a lot to say, but let me give you just one simple example, which I think after reading, you will be left with no doubt that even Nana Akufo-Addo's wife would choose Mr. John Mahama over her husband in how the two have dealt with the same scandal.
In 2013 I investigated the GYEEDA Corruption Scandal. The government and the private sector were stealing our money through fraudulent contracts. For four years, the NPP used my GYEEDA investigation as a basis to call John Mahama corrupt. John Mahama took some actions, but they were not enough. In March 2016, when Nana Akufo-Addo presented his version of the state of the nation address, this was what he said of Mahama's action on GYEEDA and other scandals: “It is clear from the actions taken on cases like judgement debts, the World Cup saga, GYEEDA, SADA, the DVLA saga, the Metro Mass branding, etc. that the fight against corruption is a sham. I say again, the so-called fight against corruption is a sham.”
Here is what John Mahama did on the GYEEDA Scandal
1. He caused a committee to be set up to probe further.
2. John Mahama cancelled all the GYEEDA contracts, except the Zoomlion Contract. The contracts were fraudulent in nature, and the Zoomlion contract was the worst.
3. Mahama drafted a bill and passed the Youth Employment Agency Act.
4. Mahama retrieved over GHc60 million from Roland Agambire's companies.
5. Mahama prosecuted and jailed two people, one being the NDC's Abuga Pele, former NDC MP.
6. Roland Agambire's rLG and other companies collapsed because of the actions taken by John Mahama's government.
7. GYEEDA saw some reforms after the passage of the GYEEDA Bill into law.
8. Mahama did not award any of the companies a contract in GYEEDA.
Did I agree with Akufo-Addo that Mahama's handling of GYEEDA was a sham? Yes. The big culprits were left off the hook. Abuga Pele and Philip Assibit were scapegoats, the fingerlings in the scandal. There were hundreds of millions of cedis that were not retrieved from Zoomlion, Better Ghana, and rLG. Mahama still kept the Zoomlion contract. This contract allowed the government to pay 500 cedis to Zoomlion per sweeper a month, but Zoomlion paid the sweepers 100 cedis and kept the rest as management fees. Zoomlion claimed there were 45,000 sweepers so every month, Zoomlion was paid 18 million cedis as management fees. This contract expired in February 2013, and between 2013 and 2019, there is no written agreement between Zoomlion and the government but we pay 270 million cedis to Zoomlion a year.
On November 16, 2016, three weeks to the 2016 election, the NPP held a press conference and accused John Mahama and Zoomlion of perpetuating fraud against the people of Ghana based on this GYEEDA contract to Zoomlion, which Mahama did not cancel. The NPP said John Mahama could not cancel the Zoomlion contract and other such fraudulent contracts because he (John Mahama) was benefitting directly from the theft.
Three weeks after that press conference Ghanaians voted massively for Nana Akufo-Addo. What did Akufo-Addo do about the "fraudulent GYEEDA" contract to Zoomlion?
Nana Akufo-Addo paid a visit to the man whom he and his opposition NPP had accused of defrauding Ghanaians. He encouraged Joseph Siaw Agyepong of Zoomlion to keep up with his good works. “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,” President Akufo-Addo told the Zoomlion CEO.
Akufo-Addo has extended that contract twice. The assemblies have been screaming to the central government to allow them to supervise the sweepers. This would optimise the service provided by the sweepers of the YEA and save the government management fees paid to contractors. But the incorruptible Akufo-Addo and the protector of our purse won't hear any of that.
But what has changed? Why would a businessman be fraudulent when you are in opposition, but when you're in government, he is a hard-working entrepreneur who needs encouragement? Why would an act of corruption under Mahama become mere "controversy" which comes with being at the forefront of doing things? So if Mahama could not cancel the Zoomlion contract because he was benefitting directly from the theft, why did Nana Akufo-Addo not cancel it when he took over from Mahama? Is he benefiting directly from the theft?
If you look at the actions of Mahama and the Nana Akufo-Addo on the GYEEDA scandal so far, which of these two presidents do you think Akufo-Addo's wife would choose as having acted better in the interest of Ghana?
Source: Manasseh Azure Awuni/facebook
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What has zoomlion done to this man? He uses the President's name to just get a large readership.
My joy will be to see us all loving Ghana as a gift from God. If you ever lived outside Ghana, you will appreciate how home is home. Lets us think passionately for the next generation.
Sadly enough for you, u're wearing a T-shirt that says it all about your write up. total ***barred word*** paaa your hate for Jospong is glare aaaba
AAAH Man Azure !! THE DEFICIT IN YOUR THOUGHT AND WRITE UP IS GLARINGLY CLEAR FOR ALL TO SEE. I AM MORE SHOCKED TO THE CORE THAT A JOURNALIST OF YOUR CALIBRE CAN PRESENT SUCH A WRITE UP. SINCE WHEN IN OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACTIC DISPENSATION HAS THE PRESIDENT BEEN THE PROSECUTOR,JAILER AND DRAFTER OF BILLS. IN YOUR "INFINITE" WISDOM AND WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN MAN AZURE THERE IS NO SEPARATION OF POWERS IN GHANA.ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PRESIDENT (JDM) UNDERTAKE PARLIAMNETARY DUTIES BY DRAFTING BILLS, UNDERTAKES THE JUDICIARY ROLE BY JAILING CONVICTED CRIMINALS AND EVEN TAKES OVER THE A.M.A AND OTHER CIVIL SERVICE DUTIES BY CHASING AFTER DEFAULTING CORRUPT COMPANIES? AAAAAABA! MAN AZURE! YOUR CRITIQUYE OF THE NANA ADDO AND THE NPP GOVERNMENT IS SOMETIMES SPOT ON AND I BELIEVE THAT KEEPS HIM ON HIS TOES BUT AS THIS DI3333 YOU GOOF LIKE YOUR NEMESIS ALO CINE (CASTLE PART 1 & 2). KEEP ON WITH YOUR GOOD WORK BUT PLEASE BRO DON'T CRITIQUE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT WAI. IT'S ONLY IN GHANA WHEN EDUCATED PERSONS LIKE YOU EXPECT A PRESIDENT TO CHANGE NAPPIES, BRUSH TEETH AND OH! DORECT TRAFFIC AND DESILT GUTTERS ( LONG LIVE JJ).
If this were to be an exams, you would have failed potorrrr......Just read the message and address the issue.... If Nana thinks the his perceptions were wrong in opposition, why not tell Ghanaians that oh " i saw things differently when in opposition"?
keep on doing this good work for mother Ghana. It is very obvious Akufo Ado is simply not walking his talk with regards to corruption related issues. He is now even worse than Mahama. Just waiting to hear what campaign message he will come out with in 2020.
Manasseh, what you are failing to recognize is that the sweepers have to be paid monthly; and the assemblies do not have the capacity to do that. Zoomlion basically pre-finances the payments and that comes at a cost. What you failed to report is that payments to the sweepers have been increased from Ghc80 to Ghc120. If the assemblies have to pay them then they the sweepers will only be paid when the assemblies receive their common fund. Zoomlion may have its problems but truth be told it is doing a good job and must be encouraged to do so and steps taken to stop the fraudulent issues; afterall it is a Ghanaian company!!!!
Massa, we are not living a jungle, we live under rule of Law. The fact that you claimed some deals are corruptible does not mean it is stand the test of time in Ghana. This is the problem you have as a journalist. Dont assume you know it all. Ther is a VAST difference between allegation and facts which can stand the test of time in Ghana. SO STOP THIS NON***barred word*** NOISE about Akuffo because HE DID NOT do your bid. GIVE US A BREAK
It looks as if u have issues with the Zoomlion man. U keeping harping on same thing over and over .