You Are Running The Country On Auto Pilot - Okudzeto Replies Prez Akufo-Addo

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, believes the Akufo Addo administration is currently running the country on "auto pilot".

According to him, the president "lacks a clear cut vision to steer the country out of his own created economic mess".

Speaking on Okay fm's "Ade Akye Abia" programme hours after the president's address to the Ghanaians on what his government is doing to address the current hardship which seems to be bringing the economy on its knees, Hon Ablakwa, who is the Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs, considered the "Fellow Ghanaians" engagement as empty and uninspiring.

"The president seems to be running the country on auto pilot because his statement lacked focus and clearly did not bring hope to the ordinary Ghanaian whose capital has been eaten up by the current economic mess the country is facing," he slammed.

Enumerating some few things the president should have done, he stated that "Just imagine how President Akufo-Addo would have been celebrated by Ghanaians tonight if he said the following:

1. I am sorry for the economic difficulties I have imposed on you;

2. I have with immediate effect fired Ken Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen;

3. I am reducing the size of my government by 40%;

4. I am slashing taxes on petroleum products;

5. I am instituting regular meetings with Ghana’s only 2 surviving former Presidents: President Kufuor and President Mahama to share their rich experiences and insights with me as we navigate this crisis;

6. I publicly commit not to charter a €20,000 an hour luxury jet for the rest of my term;

7. I suspend all ex-gratia payments and would be reviewing Article 71 together with comprehensive constitutional amendments;

8. My Cathedral Project is hereby suspended;

9. I am establishing a special task force to assist the Auditor-General in retrieving the billions of Ghana Cedis misappropriated by public officials;

10. I will revive TOR within the next 6 months so we can refine our own crude, attain better fuel prices on the domestic market and create more jobs;

11. I am initiating steps to build our own gold refinery;

12. I have requested all retirees to go home in order to create hundreds of jobs for the youth;

13. I am initiating steps to renegotiate all existing contracts in the extractive sector;

14. I have dissolved the Economic Management Team and would be reconstituting a new one to feature prominent Ghanaians regardless of how critical they have been of my leadership. I shall reach out to Kwame Pianim, Sam Jonah, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, Prof. Godfred Bokpin, and a host of others;

15. I shall comply with Article 36(5) of the 1992 Constitution and present my vision and coordinated programme to Parliament this week.

Watch & Listen to the interview below:

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]