Yesterday when Mahama addressed the nation on its current economic crisis, he admonished Akufo-Addo to sack his cousin, the minister for finance, Ken Ofori-Atta with immediate effect.
He asserted that it is unjustifiable for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to demand that the Finance Minister complete his talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before being sacked.
“I’ve noted the draft motion of censure by the Minority against the Minister of Finance and the recent rebellion of G95 group (95 Majority Members of Parliament) calling for the removal of the minister. I’ve also noted the statement of the Majority Leader of a so-called compromise reached that the minister will leave after he has completed the budget and the IMF negotiations.”
“I think this is untenable. Budget preparation and IMF negotiations are the results of teamwork. They are not the work of one individual. I fail to see how the absence of the minister will affect the preparation of the budget and the negotiation with the International Monetary Fund. There surely must be persons with the requisite experience in the NPP to carry on this work. After all, what happened to the mantra we have the men??”
“The president must not only replace his Finance Minister; he must also reconstitute and take control of the Economic Management Team himself”.
John Dramani Mahama, a former president of Ghana, joins the calls for the urgent sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta, the minister of finance.
In other news, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has admitted he is very much aware and not in oblivion of the hardships faced by citizens of the country.
He stated that while he is well aware of the economic challenges, he wants everyone’s help to lead the nation out of them.
“I have seen the difficulties that our currency has been having. I have seen the difficulties and dramatic rise of price levels, significant rise in the cost of living and difficulties generally, in the manner the economy is rising”.
“We have to understand that, all sectors and actors of the economy either on the side of management, labour and workers have to find a way of balancing the various considerations so that we can all progress and continue hopefully in building a stronger economy.”
