NDC’s 'True' State of the Nation Address: 10 Highlights Of Asiedu Nketiah's Presentation

• NDC has presented what it says is the true state of the nation at a public event addressed by party chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
• The address on Monday, March 20, 2023, at the UPSA Auditorium was held to counter the 2023 State of the Nation Address by President Nana Akufo-Addo
• Among other things, the NDC mentioned the controversial debt restructuring process, corruption, and what it says is a leadership paralysis under Akufo-Addo as representing the true state of Ghana

On Monday, March 20, 2023, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) presented what it says is the 'true' state of the nation to counter Nana Akufo-Addo's presentation two weeks ago.

The NDC's 'true' State of the Nation Address was presented by party Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah. He touched on every aspect of the national economy.

Read also

Akufo-Addo's cluelessness has destroyed Ghana - NDC says in "true" State of the Nation Address

In a nutshell, the opposition party said Ghana is stuck under the current administration of Nana Akufo-Addo because of recklessness, cluelessness and savage corruption.

The lengthy address at the well-attended event held at the UPSA Auditorium in Accra also expressed fear that the gains made by the country's previous presidents would be totally destroyed by the time Akufo-Addo leaves office.

Here are the highlights of the issues the NDC says are crippling Ghana under Akufo-Addo and which represent the true state of the nation:

1. Ghanaians have been hit with a Draconian debt restructuring programme for the first time in the country’s history, thanks to the monumental mismanagement of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government. Cruel financial haircuts have become a normalised feature of Akufo-Addo's “reckless” regime;
2. Pensioner Bondholders, including former Chief Justices and senior statesmen and women, have been violently compelled to engage in a historic public manifestation as they picket at the Ministry of Finance over the debt restructuring;
3. It is unprecedented that all international credit rating agencies have declared Ghana junk and bankrupt, partly because Ghana has for the first time in more than half a century defaulted on its debt obligations;
4. Under Nana Akufo-Addo, many businesses, banks and industries have collapsed and some have relocated to other countries in the sub-region, triggering massive job losses;
5. Youth unemployment is at an all-time high according to the 2020 Population and Housing Census;
6. The Bank of Ghana has gone rogue and become a lawless money-printing syndicate;
7. Savage corruption under the current administration has robbed the country of critical infrastructural projects. Corruption under the current administration has reached epidemic levels as evidenced by the Special COVID-19 Audit which was an IMF bailout pre-condition;
8. Human right violations have become rampant in Ghana. A typical example of such violations is the recent killing of a soldier and the unfortunate brutalities in Ashaiman – all of which President Akufo-Addo as Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces refused to speak about;
9. Childhood vaccines are in short supply leading to a measles outbreak. False claims by the President of a global shortage have been exposed as Nigeria had excess vaccines to come to the rescue of Ghana’s babies;
10. President Nana Akufo-Addo has desecrated the Holy Name of God by claiming to be building a cathedral to honour God only to engage in dishonourable acts of diversion, corruption, inflationary pricing and conflict of interest which have earned Ghana the dubious reputation of digging the world’s most expensive pit worth over $58million.

Read also

Why IMF bailout cash won’t arrive anytime soon – Minority says Akufo-Addo is being misled

Akufo-Addo promises to solve baby vaccine shortage in 2023 SONA

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that Nana Akufo-Addo disclosed that he is not happy about the baby vaccine shortage that hit the country some weeks ago.

He told Parliament on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, during the 2023 SONA that the situation is being treated as a national emergency and promised that the vaccines would be delivered to the country soon.

Vaccines used to immunise infants against measles, polio, TB, whooping cough and tetanus, among others ran out at health facilities across the country months before the president presented the SONA.

The health minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu also told Parliament he was dealing with the nationwide shortage of baby vaccines.

Shortly after this assurance, Ghana received some vaccines.

But opposition MP Samuel Akudzeto Ablakwa said the vaccines were not those the government had promised would arrive from the UN, claiming that Nigeria gave Ghana some of its excess vaccines.

Read also

Final place where Christian Atsu’s body will rest forever pops up in 7 photos

Akufo-Addo has ruined Ghana’s economy

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Asiedu Nketiah said among other things during the NDC's SONA that Nana Akufo-Addo's cluelessness has plunged the Ghanaian economy into a ditch despite being the luckiest president.

Johnson Asiedu also said that the government used only a measly 1.6% of the over GH¢820 billion loan contracted on roads.

The NDC Chairman said the chunk of the loans contracted under the current government has been swallowed up by consumption and reckless spending.

Source: YEN.com.gh