Akufo-Addo is a ‘blatant liar’ – Bono NDC secretariat

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The opposition National Democratic Congress ( NDC ) in the Brong Ahafo Region has described President Akufo-Addo as a “blatant liar” following his comments on the’ construction’ of Nobeko-Sankore road.

At a news conference to respond to some comments made by President Akufo-Addo during his tour to the Region, the NDC’s Regional Communications Officer, Charles Akowuah claim President Akufo-Addo told the electorate that the NDC under the former President Mahama in their colourful ‘Green Book’ lied that the Nobeko-Sankore road was tarred.

The President added that their checks reveal the road has never been tarred as captured by the NDC’s green book.

But the Regional Communications Officer describes Akufo-Addo statement as blatant and an allusion calculated to cast a slur on the NDC and the Former President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama.

According to Charles Akowuah, the NDC never made such comment that the Nobeko-Sankore road was tarred during John Mahama’s administration.

“For the records, the NDC never made any such comment, be it description or pictorial as having completed this road as erroneously claimed by the President. In fact, the Green Book, which the President quoted as his evidence, has absolutely nothing and no mention about that road,” he emphasised.

He continued that “To verify this assertion, Page 106 of the Green Book mentioned roads that were being worked on and no mention was made of the Nobeko-Sankore Feeder Road as the President once again misled to make such falsehood.”

Mr Charles Akorwuah described President Akufo-Addo’s comment as ‘lies’ and called on him to apologise to the Region for misleading them.

“We the NDC see these statements as forlorn attempt by President Akufo-Addo to intentionally misinform the people of the region and as a responsible Party, we deem it right to expose his political gimmicks to bring sanity into our political landscape in the Region, as well ask the President to apologize profusely for his wanton lies”, he charged.

On the issue about cashew, he noted that the Board will regulate the cashew industry to make sure farmers have good rates.

According to him, President Akufo-Addo failed to honour his 2016 campaign to make Cashew farmers feel better.

They revealed that “President Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 20th February, 2018, launched a 10-year Cashew Development Plan with the aim of diversifying Ghanaian Agriculture. At the launch at Wenchi, President Akufo-Addo said he was fulfilling his campaign to make cashew farmers earn higher incomes when the board is finally established by June 2018”.

The President added that the Board will regulate the cashew industry to make sure farmers have good prices for their cashew produce. President Akufo-Addo then urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ghana Export Promotion Agency to initiate policies in the areas of storage, transport and packaging of cashew to ensure that cashew farmers earn a higher income, the President reiterated”.

In all of these, Charles Akorwuah indicated that the price of cashew which was sold under John Mahama’s administration at GHC760 per bag has dropped down to GHC250.

He added that during John Mahama’s administration, fertilizers were given to cashew farmers free of charge but has been abolished and rather being sold to farmers under the current administration.

“Under President Akufo-Addo, who claimed to have the cashew farmers at heart, the cost of this same farm inputs continue to see astronomical hikes in petrol at GH¢24 and a gallon of weedicide at GH¢14.00. The sad aspect of it is that, the free fertilizers that were imported by President Mahama to be given to cashew farmers were suddenly sold to them at a whopping cost of GH¢80.00 – even though the fertilizers had the inscription ‘’NOT FOR SALE’’ boldly written on them”, they emphasized.

They bemoaned “Surprisingly, amidst all the hikes in farm inputs under President Akufo-Addo, the disheartening agony of the cashew farmers after the establishment of this non functioning Cashew Board has had in its achievement, a huge reduction of the price of cashew from GH¢760.00 in 2016 to a meager GH¢250.00 in 2019, an unprecedented loss of GH¢510.00 per bag”.

By: Daniel Kaku