Nana Addo’s SONA which is the President’s maiden State of the Nation Address since assuming office has drawn innumerable reactions from members of the public since after its delivery on Tuesday, 21st February, 2017.
In the address, President Nana Akufo-Addo dwelt so much on the very many backbreaking economic burdens transferred to him by his predecessor. Listening to the long recount of the never-done-wells of the past administration as presented in Nana Addo’s SONA, one may begin to wonder if the President mounted the platform to weep and wail.
Akufo-Addo bemoaned the almost collapsing state of the economy, saying that the past administration left no fiscal space for the funding of government projects. Aside the huge debt stock which according to the President is currently standing at 74% of the country’s GDP, 99.6% of government revenue goes to only wages and salaries, interest payments and amortization and statutory payments. He however, promised that his government will put in place “tough, prudent and innovative policies” to improve the economy.
But then, the opposition has scoffed at the president. For them, this is just the beginning of his woes. Below are some of the most striking reactions to Nana Addo’s SONA by members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
As President Akufo-Addo progressed in decrying the misfortunes he inherited from the immediate past administration, the Minority MPs raised and chanted aloud, a modified version of Kofi Kinaata’s popular and most recent release – Confession.
Ghanaian Parliamentarians are fond of using diss songs to chant down the voice of their opposers. Minority MPs [now majority] did something very similar during Mahama last state of the nation address in 2016.
Their own version of the Confession song goes this way: “Mahama b3 gye steer no, na Nana abr3 oo…Mahama san bra oo,”. Meaning; Nana is tired after few heckling hence Mahama should come and take over from him.
Kinaata’s Confession song has grown to be the favorite in Ghana recently. The Black Stars during the just concluded AFCON tournament used the song to celebrate goals to the excitement of fans. Even resigned Black Stars coach, Avram Grant admitted to loving the song.
Reacting to Nana Addo’s SONA, former vice president Amissah Arthur told Starr Fm that the president’s address is nothing but a statement of the problems facing the country; with no direction on how to solve them.
The former veep denied getting any clue to Nana Addo’s sense of direction as to how to proffer solutions to the problems he enumerated! Shoo? Did Amissah Arthur listen to Nana Addo’s SONA at all?
Despite the fact that Akufo-Addo made it clear to his audience that he is not complaining but only wants to present the nation’s condition as it is, NDC’s General Secretary, aka General Mosquito lashed out at Nana Addo, telling him to fix the economy instead of “lecturing” Ghanaians on the problems at stake.
Also See: “I was Not Elected to Complain But to Get Things Done” – Nana on 1st SONA
For Nketia, it is beginning to dawn on Nana Addo that most of his campaign promises are not feasible; hence his searching for excuses to exonerate himself by screaming the impeding challenges for every Ghanaian to hear. Gan Gan! Nana don enter one chance!!
On a rather more serious note, former Deputy Finance Minister under the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, Fifi Kwetey, while reacting to Nana Addo’s State of the Nation Address said that the president and his team are unaware of the truth and realities of Ghana’s economic predicament. Fifi Kwetey was speaking to Citi Eyewitnesses News.
According to Fifi, Nana Addo and the NPP are making “irresponsible” statements about the economy which include creating the impression that the problems were intentionally created by the past administration and that removing them out of the way is as easy as ABC.
Making reference to the energy sector levies, Mr. Kwtey stated that some of the problems came about in the bid to solve already existing ones. Giving other specific instances such as shortfall in grants, the former deputy finance minister defended the NDC, stressing that there are legitimate reasons for the current deficit in the economy and so the past government cannot be accused of reckless spending.
Howbeit, he still advised the president to cease lamenting and deal with the problems as he promised.
What is your own judgement of President Akufo-Addo’s first State of the Nation Address? Share your opinions please.
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