Nana Addo steals show

…As NPP supporters urge him on

Posted: The Chronicle Wednesday, May 27, 2009

By Charles Takyi Boadu

There was a rapturous and thunderous uproar when the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2008 general elections, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo arrived at the Emmanuel Presbyterian hall in Osu yesterday, to address a press conference.
Hours before the much awaited press conference to assess President Mills and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration’s five months in office, hundreds of party supporters clad in party colours gathered at the forecourt of the church premises to give Nana Addo a heroic welcome.
Some of them displayed with motorbikes draped in NPP colours whilst others waved their flags singing party songs.
All this time, party activists and leaders including Chairman Peter Mac Manu, General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow, National Organizer, Lord Commey, National Youth Organiser, John Boadu among a host of others were arriving at the grounds one after the other. Finally, when Nana Addo arrived around 11:30am in a convoy of vehicles, the entire crowd went agog, amidst shouts of “Nana oo Nana”.
In response, Nana Addo waved back to the crowd, with a thumps up and victory signs.
Some rushed to his vehicle, wanting to catch a glimpse of the man they have so long been yearning to hear speak, whilst others tried to shake his hands.
Nana Addo then stepped out of his vehicle exchanging pleasantries with both supporters and party leaders present. At this point the atmosphere was charged as party supporters cheered him on.
The crowd went haywire when they heard the Daddy Lumba-composed song Nana Addo’s 2008 campaign, ‘Nana, Nana, Nana die oye winner’ in the background.
At this point, most of those who were trying to shake the hands of Nana Addo abandoned the idea and jumped to the floor to dance their hearts out.
There and then, Nana Addo could not but join the supporters on the dancing floor, doing the ‘we are moving forward’ sign.
When he got the opportunity to address the anxious crowd, Nana Addo launched a scorching attack on President Mills and his barely six-month old NDC administration, saying “instead of uniting us and fostering peace, the last four months have been spent intimidating innocent citizens and political opponents.”
If not for anything at all, he said “we have seen physical attacks on NPP members in several parts of the country, including Agbogbloshie, Kumasi and Tamale.”
Whilst appreciating the fact that the leadership of the NPP have worked very hard to restrain their supporters from reacting to the acts of intimidation and provocation from their colleague NDC supporters, Nana Addo emphasized that sooner than later, the militants among them might be compelled by circumstances to take measures to protect themselves, their interests and their loved ones.
At that point, he said “events will then be out of control, driving all of us towards a point of no return.”
He therefore asked all stakeholders including the President of the Republic to help protect and preserve the country’s democracy for posterity.

Nana`s assurance to NPP supporters

``We shall be back in 2012``

Posted: The Chronicle Wednesday, May 27, 2009
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The events that have characterized the almost six-months of President Mills and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration give the 2008 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo more than enough reason to believe that his party will be returned to power in the year 2012.
He has, therefore, asked the rank and file of the NPP to keep faith with the party since better days are yet to come.
Nana Addo was speaking to an emotionally charged and anxious crowd at the Emmanuel Presbyterian Hall in Osu, yesterday, where he took the opportunity make his personal assessment of the current and prevailing situation in the country. “Therefore I say, together with NPP members across the nation, no shaking! We shall be back!” he said.
He talked about how the NDC government has reneged on the numerous promises it made to Ghanaians during the 2008 electioneering campaign, and have rather focused their attention and energies on the seizure of cars, public places of convenience, harassment of political opponents, especially the members of the NPP among others.
He also touched on how the ruling government had virtually become helpless and insensitive to the plight of the masses, with their inability to control the depreciating value of the cedi against the United States Dollar and the other major world trading currencies, and the dramatic rise in the prices of goods and services, with the belief that this will inform the decision of Ghanaians in the next elections.
Instead of lightening the hardship that have been imposed on Ghanaians by an allegedly insensitive and uncaring NPP government, as then Candidate Mills promised Ghanaians during the election campaign, Nana Addo said “we have seen in this brief five-month period of NDC rule, even greater hardships being visited on our people.”
He wondered how the prices of Gari, which used to sell at GH ¢1 have risen to GH ¢1.60 per an ‘olonka’, while a tuber of yam which used to sell for GH ¢1.50 is now selling for GH ¢3.00, with products like maize now selling at ¢2.50 per an ‘olonka’, rice (50kg) GH ¢75.00, five fingers of plantain for GH ¢1.00, vegetable oil (1 litre) for GH ¢3.50 and tomatoes (four small fruits) for GH ¢1.00.
This, according to him, is the practical effect of the growing inflation and loss of confidence in Ghana’s economy.
In spite of all these, he said the NDC government had announced a whopping 14% increase in tuition fees for the country’s Universities for the next academic year, while loans have not been released though the semester have ended.
For the past five or so months, he noted that the leadership of the NPP has been strategizing to bring the party back to power, stressing “all of us in the leadership of our party are fully aware that unity in our ranks is vital to the prospects of the victory in 2012.”
According to Nana Addo, Ghanaians are very discerning and have braced themselves up to the tenets of democracy, and stressed that they will boot the NDC out of power in the next elections.
Even though the NPP has always welcomed competition for office as a bedrock principle of democracy, Nana Addo emphasized that well-meaning Ghanaians and the overwhelming majority of our rank and file hope that this time round, the competition will be conducted in a way that will facilitate reconciliation among competitors and their supporters, thereby reinforcing the unity of our party.”
Though he is confident of a return to power in 2012, Nana Addo openly admitted “we have much work to do.”

If the economy is broke, fix it

Posted: The Chronicle Wednesday, May 27, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu & Bismark Bebli

NANA ADDO Danquah Akufo-Addo, the 2008 Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has prevailed upon President John Evans Atta Mills to fix the economy and stop complaining that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has inherited only liabilities from the NPP.
“The NDC claims almost on daily basis that this or that problem was left by the NPP administration. I say to President Mills today, if you say that the system is broke, fix it.”
According to him, every government inherits both assets and liabilities, and expressed grave concern that the NDC continues to create the impression that everything went wrong under the NPP.
Nana Addo Dankwah, who was making his first public statement after the crucial 2008 elections, where he lost narrowly to President Mills, said “In 2001, the departing NDC administration left a few assets and lots of liabilities. Amongst the liabilities were high inflation and interest rates, historic levels of debts and very low external reserves. Instead of complaining, our government went to work to build our country, with its bold decision to join the HIPC initiative, for which our nation has reaped much benefit.”
The 2008 presidential candidate, who received a rousing welcome when he arrived at the premises of Osu Ebenezer Presby Church, yesterday, to deliver his first speech, said it was true that every government leaves some unfinished business, saying “And our government too, did leave some unfinished business, just as the current NDC government will leave some unfinished business when it leaves office in 2012.”
Nana Akufo-Addo, who indicated that the NPP left economic growth as well as social intervention policies such as National Health Insurance Scheme, (NHIS), the National Youth Employment Program, the Capitation grant, the School Feeding program and a host of others, recounted how the NPP managed to break the culture of silence, which he observed every Ghanaians can today attest to.
According to him, it was unfortunate that the NDC government is misusing energies in seizing caes instead of focusing on relevant matters. “Our energies should be focused on harnessing our talents, so that we can improve the lives and liberties of Ghanaians and move our nation forward. The real challenges of our people are poverty, unemployment, crime and the burden of ignorance, squalor and disease.”
On the free-fall of the cedi, Akufo-Addo urged the government to act with dispatch to address the free-fall of the cedi by working with private businesses here, and with Ghanaians in the Diaspora, the Central bank and private banks, while making responsible utterances on the economy at home and abroad. According to him, the relative stability of the cedi has been very crucial in the creation of jobs, stimulation of commerce and the strong performance of the economy. “The restoration of a stable cedi will go a long way to restoring the confidence of the business community which is absolutely essential for getting the investment that will bring systematic growth and the rapid expansion of our economy. This is the surest way to prosperity for the broad masses of our people.”
On the drug menace, the NPP firebrand, who received intermittent applause from teeming supporters who gathered at the auditorium, noted that even though Ghanaians welcome the commitment of the NDC government for combating it, there was the need to walk the talk and urged that distinction should be made between the talk and the action.