The deputy secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho has stated that the president’s act to relocate the shops of traders and artisans close to his Nima home is worse than the act committed by the Bible’s character King Nebuchadnezzar.
Traders, artisans and other business located around the President’s residence have been paid compensation of varying amount of 3,000 cedis to 10,000 cedis to relocate but some owners of these properties are complaining that these compensations are inadequate.
He stated that what is happening is not what was promised to the Ghanaian people and they have been shortchanged.
According to the deputy secretary, past presidents lived in their assigned residences by the state and finds it unacceptable for the president to use his private home whiles leaving the presidential residence, Flagstaff House.
“My pastor bemoaned that the act to relocate these artisans and traders around the presidents house is worse than the acts committed by the King Nebuchadnezzar in the ancient Babylonian times in a conversation with him after church and this surprised me”
“The New patriotic party did all that they could to sympathize with the ordinary people when they wanted to be in government. Now they are turning against the same people who yielded power to you”
“We have an official residence for the president and I believe should be used by our president. They unfortunately forced the former president, John Mahama from his cantonment residence and not even a renovation has been done on that building for use”
“President Mills became president on the 7th January 2009, two days after his swearing in he moved from his residence at the Regiemmanuel Estate to the castle simply to prevent the inconvenience that will cause his neighbors and motorist around his private residence. He stayed at the castle till his unfortunate demise. The former president, Jerry Rawlings stayed at the castle for nineteen years. Why can’t our current president stay in his assigned residence by the country” He stated.
Koku Anyidoho further stated on Ahotor FM’s Morning show on Monday, 12th March with Onantefour Addea Mununkum that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) government has a history of taking huge sum of money for the government’s coffers to renovate their private homes for keep.
“I don’t think this acts by the president is acceptable, Akufo-Addo should feel for the people, the struggling masses and act differently”, he concluded.
Daniel Koranteng Kwagyiri|ahotoronline.com|Ghana
