Abraham Koomson, the Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), has voiced his deep concerns over President Akufo-Addo’s reaction to workers’ leaders opposing the sale of four SSNIT hotels.
Mr. Koomson expressed his bewilderment at the President’s anger, given the recent declaration by the CEO of SSNIT that the hotels are now generating substantial profits just months after the government’s decision to sell them due to claims of poor performance.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu show, hosted by Nana Dogbe, he questioned, “Why was the President angry with workers’ leaders when they opposed the sale of the four SSNIT hotels?”
He emphasized, “The CEO of SSNIT has confirmed that the hotels are making huge profits within just a few months of the government’s plan to sell them.”
Abraham Koomson further compared President Akufo-Addo’s actions to those of the late Jerry John Rawlings during his military regime, highlighting a stark contrast in leadership styles.
He recalled how, even as a military leader, Rawlings never lost his temper with workers’ representatives because he respected them.
“We used to meet Rawlings, and he never got angry with workers’ leaders because he respected us. But Akufo-Addo, in contrast, is the opposite,” he remarked.
The GFL Secretary General also expressed his shock at how workers are enduring economic hardships while the government appears indifferent to their struggles.
“I lead workers, and I know well the grievances they face,” he said, underscoring the difficult economic situation that many Ghanaian workers are grappling with.
Abraham Koomson did not stop there; he also criticized the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) for its failure to pay elderly citizens who invested in government bonds.
He labeled the government as “the most clueless” for allowing this situation to persist. “Why are we watching elderly men and women picketing for their own investments? Having a government bond is supposed to be one of the most secure forms of investment, but not under this NPP government. I’ve never seen anything like this before, not even during the military rule, when the government would refuse to pay citizens who invested in government bonds,” he stated.
Turning his attention to the Finance Minister, Mr. Koomson urged him to focus on addressing the country’s economic challenges instead of celebrating when debtors extend payment deadlines.
“The Finance Minister needs to stop celebrating when he begs our debtors to extend the deadlines for our debt payments. Begging someone to extend your debt repayment is not an achievement,” he asserted.
Finally, Abraham Koomson reacted to a video that surfaced showing President Akufo-Addo receiving banknotes into his pocket in public.
He found the incident shocking and disgraceful, calling it an embarrassment to the nation.
“The President is disgracing this country. Why is he holding banknotes in public as the President? I was shocked when I saw the video. Sometimes, you might even think the NPP is cursed because, they are building a new Bank of Ghana Headquarters while the economy is collapsing,” he concluded.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites✍️) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 🇬🇭
