Tempane SHS video: Mahama Supports Joshua Akamba

Former President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama has backed the actions of Mr Joshua Hamidu Akamba in the Tempane SHS video and called on the government to be tolerant and attend to the problems faced by the schools, rather than intimidating political opponents.

Mr. Joshua Akamba, who was on a tour of the Upper East Region as part of his campaign for the National Organizer position of the NDC, was seen interacting with students of Tempane Senior High School, in a video which has gone viral on various social media platforms.

The video captured the students complaining bitterly to Mr Joshua Akamba about their living conditions in the school, the congestion in the various dormitories leading to the outbreak of bed bugs and bemoaned the reckless nature in which the noble free Senior High School programme is being implemented by the Akufo-Addo led government.

Many stalwarts of the governing New Patriotic Party, including Mr Henry Nana Boakye, Sammi Awuku and Hon Joseph Kpemka chastised the NDC Organizer for inciting the students against the President and threatened to deal with the headmaster of the school.

The headmaster of the school has since being suspended, with Mr Joshua Akamba invited by the Tempane Police CID.

But addressing delegates in Garu in the Upper East Region, Mr. Mahama urged the government to fix the problems in the High schools and stop intimidating political opponents.

He said: “I remember when NDC was in government, NDC is a tolerant party and we believe in democracy and we don’t see why we should hinder anybody from speaking the truth.”

“So, if Akamba did not go to the school, does it mean the school is not congested? Does it mean bedbugs are not chewing the children? They are, and so what he did was to bring it to the attention of the government, and so what you should do is, rather than invite Akamba and interdict the headmaster, do something about the conditions in the school.”

“When we were in government, many NPP officials went to the schools and openly campaigned and yet we didn’t find anything wrong with it. We didn’t do anything, we didn’t interdict headmasters and the point is, if we want, all of us can go to those schools [so that you] come and arrest all NDC members. If we want, I can go to a school, come and arrest me. Do something about the condition in the school and stop intimidating headmasters and stop inviting political opponents for investigations”, Mr Mahama added.

By:Daniel Kaku