ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
As a matter of fact, it was part of these monies, that is about US$11.25 million that PDS used to finance the Insurance Guarantee from the Qatar-based Reinsurance company, Alkoot which was later found to be fraudulent and invalid.
More importantly, the cancelation of the PDS concession, occasioned the abrupt termination of the whole MCC Ghana Power Compact by the US government.
Consequently, the US government withdrew the second tranche amount of US$190 million (equivalent to GH10 billion) it had allotted to Ghana for the improvement of the power sector of the country under the Power Compact.
Overall, Ghana has lost about US$1.8 billion as a result of the greed and avarice of President Akufo-Addo and his corrupt family and friends cabal, who sought to appropriate the GHS20 billion assets of ECG for themselves.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, these are the sad events that occasioned the PDS corruption scandal.
However, the real tragedy of this scandal is summed up by these nagging questions which are begging for answers: Since the Minister for Energy, John Peter Amewu told Ghanaians that the Insurance Guarantee PDS presented for the takeover of the over GHS20 billion assets of ECG was fraudulent - a fact corroborated by Alkoot, the Quatar based Company which allegedly issued the said guarantee, who were those who perpetrated this fraud against Ghanaians and what actions has President Akufo-Addo taken to ensure that they answer for this fraud?
Who are the state actors who neglected to perform their fiduciary responsibility to the state by failing to conduct the necessary due diligence on the Insurance Guarantee presented by PDS, and what action has President Akufo-Addo taken against them?
Can the Akufo-Addo government tell Ghanaians the total amount of monies PDS collected from electricity consumers in the form of electricity bills, from 1st March, 2019 to 18th October, 2019, when the concession agreement was still in force?
Have those monies been accounted for, and if yes, have same been audited?
If PDS has accounted for those funds collected, and same has been audited, can President Akufo-Addo publish those accounts for the benefit of you the media who are the fourth estate of the realm, and the entire Ghanaian people?
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, what we know is that as we speak, the perpetrators of the PDS scam are still walking the streets of Ghana as free men.
Despite the fact that government itself described the transaction as fraudulent, no arrest or prosecutions have taken place till date.
The likes of Vice-President Dr.
Bawumia, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and the Eson-Benjamin-led MiDA who aided and facilitated this scam which has occasioned the nation huge financial losses, have not been held to account for the roles they individually and jointly played in the scam.
Also, cronies of the President such as Mr.
Philip Ayensu, an appointee of President Akufo Addo on the NCA Board, who was the Chairman of PDS and the Directors of the local partners in the company, who perpetrated what government itself alleges to be fraud on the people of Ghana, have all been left off the hook.
Even more bizarre and scandalous is the fact that till date, PDS, the Company made up of friends and cronies of President Akufo-Addo, who were gifted the GHS20 billion assets of ECG on the basis of a fraudulent Insurance Guarantee, and operated same for more than seven (7) months, have not been made to account for the over GHS1.5 billion they collected from electricity consumers during the period.
Also, all calls for the accounts of PDS to be audited by an independent and internationally reputable Audit firm have been ignored by President Akufo Addo.
And so as we speak, Ghanaians do not even know how much was collected by PDS from electricity consumers within the duration of the concession, and whether those funds have been properly accounted for and audited.
Friends from the media, it is glaringly clear that President Akufo-Addo has no intention to pursue the prosecution of persons responsible for the PDS scam and the recovery of the millions of monies they collected from electricity consumers for the State.
We in the NDC, are not in the least surprised at the nonchalant posture of President Akufo-Addo on this matter.
We have always known that President Akufo-Addo can neither be trusted to punish the perpetrators nor ensure that monies collected by PDS are refunded to the state because of he and his cronies are complicit and neck-deep In the scam.
Ladies and gentlemen, never in the history of Ghana have we seen this level of corruption and naked thievery like we are witnessing under the reign of President Akufo-Addo in the last three (3) and half years.
Despite promising to protect the public purse, President Akufo Addo has supervised the biggest rape of the public pursue since he took office in 2017.
This has led to a sad situation where millions of money, which should have gone into the provision of schools, hospitals, roads, potable drinking water, jobs and other critical investments in the productive sectors of the economy for the benefit of all Ghanaians, have been diverted into the pockets and bank accounts of a few selfish officials of the Akufo Addo-government, while the masses continue to suffer.
Friends from the media, these acts of naked robbery and the coverup of same by President Akufo-Addo, as pertains to the PDS scam, is what continues to entrench President Akufo-Addo as the “Chief Clearing Agent” of corruption, who shields his corrupt appointees from punishment.
This is why we have always maintained, that President Akufo-Addo is the biggest enabler and promoter of corruption in his government.
Today, the incorruptibility tag he was clothe with by his party and some elements in the media prior to the 2016 general elections, has turned out to be a ruse which was presented to Ghanaians for votes and nothing more.
Ghanaians should not and will never forgive President Akufo for supervising this stinking PDS scam which has caused the nation a huge financial loss of over US$1.8 billion, and the numerous corruption scandals that has engulfed his government in the last three (3) and half years.
We call on the good people of Ghana to kick out the corrupt Akufo-Addo regime and vote for the John&Jane Ticket come 7th December, 2020.
This country needs Leaders who are honest and incorruptible.
And those are none other than H.E John Dramani Mahama and his running mate, Prof.
Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who have dedicated themselves to serving this country with honor and integrity in all the positions they have individually served in.
As President Mahama has already announced, when he is given the opportunity to serve this country again on 7th January 2021, he shall wage a ruthless war against corruption in all sectors of the nation through a crusade dubbed “Operation Sting”.
Ghanaians can be rest assured, that under the “Operation Sting” crusade, the next NDC/Mahama government shall ensure that all monies (over GHS1.5 billion) collected by PDS from electricity consumers are properly accounted for, and ensure the retrieval of any amounts misappropriated by the company, their promoters and accomplices for the State.
Also, the next NDC/Mahama government shall ensure the arrest and criminal prosecution of all persons who directly or indirectly played a role in the stinking PDS scam and the several other corruption scandals we have witnessed under the Akufo-Addo government.
As President Mahama demonstrated between 2012-2016, when he ensured the prosecution of his own appointees and party members in the YEA scandal involving Abuga Pele and Assibit, the National Service Secretariat Pay roll fraud scandal among others, President Mahama will not be a clearing agent of corruption in the next NDC government.
Through the “Operation Sting” crusade, all appointees of the Next NDC/Mahama administration shall be required to publish their assets and no acts of corruption in any form, whether by Mahama appointees or political opponents will go unpunished.
This is the only way, Ghana can succeed in the fight against corruption which has undoubtedly been the bane of the country’s development for a very long time.
President Mahama shall ensure the judicious utilization of state resources for the development of the country through far-reaching policies such as his "Agenda 1 million jobs" policy, Free Primary Health Care program, National Apprenticeship Program, free TVET program, the BIG PUSH policy which will inject some $10 billion into infrastructural projects to dualize key roads, complete the remainder of the 200 Community Day Senior High Schools, finish all abandoned hospital and road projects, among others, for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
August 30, 2021 Good afternoon distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the media.
On behalf of the National Democratic Congress, I welcome you to our headquarters for this all-important press conference.
We are grateful for your continuous collaboration and cooperation with us in our collective struggle to consolidate our democracy and build a prosperous Ghana We have invited you here this afternoon to formally respond to some irresponsible and frivolous attacks that the NPP, through some of its key functionaries, has been heaping on the person of John Dramani Mahama over factual comments he made during his recent 'Thank You tour of the five northern regions.
As you may be aware, last Tuesday, President John Dramani Mahama, wrapped up the first phase of his “Thank You Tour”, which took him to five Regions in the Northern Sector of the country.
The tour is designed to convey his deep appreciation personally to the millions of Ghanaians who voted for him across the country and even those who may not have voted for him but deemed it necessary to enhance Ghana’s democracy through their participation in the electoral process.
Mr Mahama also took time during the tour to engage in media interviews during which he commented on a number of issues of national importance.
Among others, he decried the mismanagement of the economy and the unsustainable debt hole the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has plunged the country into and the resultant economic hardships emanating from their imposition of several taxes on Ghanaians.
He also lamented the rising spate of corruption in government and the nonchalance that has attended the subject.
He observed that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government was simply unwilling to account for their stewardship and was not motivated to fight corruption which has led to large-scale looting and abuse of the public purse.
It had become obvious in the circumstance, that the only way to exact any measure of accountability is to vote out the NPP after their eight-year tenure in 2024 which would be in keeping with the established electoral trend since 1992.
In fact, President Mahama echoed the sentiments of the vast majority of Ghanaians who feel scandalized by the unbridled corruption and plain thievery that has become the hallmark of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government.
The alarming scale of sleaze and corruption under this government is such that Ghanaians cannot wait to exact accountability by voting out the NPP after their eight-year tenure in 2024.
Anything short of that will spell doom for the public purse which will be subjected to further systematic abuse should their mandate be renewed beyond 2024.
Clearly, these factual statements made by President Mahama have hit the bulls-eye.
Our detractors in the NPP are dazed and agitated by the factual statements by H.E John Mahama because they know he spoke the naked truth.
It is obvious that they are very worried about how President Mahama is exposing the true character of President Akufo-Addo, a man who rode on the back of self-proclaimed propaganda of incorruptibility into power, only to turn around and supervise the most obscene abuse of the public purse ever witnessed in the history of this country.
First to respond was NPP Communications Director, Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, who staged a performance reminiscent of the heydays of Comical Ali, the legendary Iraqi Information Minister, infamous for his denial of very obvious facts and truths.
Mr Asamoah inexplicably claimed that the excruciating economic hardships Ghanaians are going through has only been spoken into place by President Mahama and that it was not being felt by Ghanaians.
In other words, all the taxes introduced by this government since 2017 and the rampant increases in fuel prices and every other commodity on the market-leading to hardships are just the words of President Mahama.
Ladies and gentlemen, I must say that Mr Buabeng’s comical display is as amusing as it is disturbing.
It is amusing because it demonstrates the willingness of this government to trivialize the suffering of people, and it is disturbing because it shows that the NPP and their leaders have completely detached themselves from the very harsh economic conditions of Ghanaians and chosen to dwell in a delusional bubble.
Clearly, they are living in their own world of luxury and comfort, far removed from the realities in the country today.
It bears reminding the Akufo-Addo government that the current economic difficulties of Ghanaians are not the product of any imaginary or delusional fantasy of members of the opposition.
The economic hardships Ghanaians from all walks of life are experiencing, are the direct effects of the mismanagement of the economy through reckless squandering of scarce resources to secure re-election in 2020 which has left our finances in shambles.
The excessive and reckless borrowing of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has ensured that we are barely able to service our debts, pay the salary of Public sector workers and have anything significant left to meet critical expenditure.
That is why over half a dozen different taxes were introduced in the 2021 budget alone to plug the hole they have created in the economy.
These taxes coupled with other bad policies of the government have conspired to increase prices of fuel, food commodities, building materials and cost of living in general to unbearable proportions without any commensurate increment in incomes.
The NPP must take responsibility for the consequences of their insensitive and poor economic management decisions and refrain from the ludicrous display of willful blindness put up by Yaw Buabeng Asamoah.
Next in line to respond to President Mahama, was Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, a self-styled puppet master of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government who likes to conceal his role behind a veneer of non-involvement and the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr.
John Boadu.
It is clear from a cursory examination of the above ridiculous positions, that these are men who appear to be haunted by their own shadows, even though the torch of accountability is yet to be shone on them.
Otchere Darko on his part, took umbrage at President Mahama’s advise to Ghanaians to vote out the NPP if they want anyone held accountable for the dizzying levels of corruption being perpetrated today.
John Boadu also claimed that there is no evidence to buttress President Mahama’s claim that this government is corrupt.
These assertions by Gabby and by the NPP’s Chief scribe are preposterous to say the least.
The systematic governmental corruption spearheaded by President Akufo-Addo and his jocular Vice Bawumia, has been so overt and public that the condemnation of same by Ghanaians including conscientious and principled members of the NPP has been unanimous.
If Ghanaians are raising their voices in condemnation of corruption and rot within this government, it is because they have lost hope that the canker will ever be tackled as long as the NPP remains in power.
They have too many examples of very clear corrupt practices that have gone unpunished to base their conclusions on.
Ghanaians are aware of the fact that President Akufo-Addo has flattered to deceive on his 2016 campaign promise to protect the public purse when elected.
In fact, we are all aware of how President Akufo-Addo and Dr.
Bawumia who once professed to be incorruptible have made corruption the most attractive venture in Ghana today and have turned out to be the biggest promoters and enablers of corruption in the history of this country.
Friends from the media, Ghanaians have not forgotten how in the year 2017, five (5) million litres of contaminated fuel belonging to the State, was sold by BOST to unregistered and unlicensed entities, Movinpina Energy and Zup Oil in breach of the National Petroleum Act and the Public Procurement Act and the proceeds pocketed by the entities involved and their accomplices in the corrupt Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government.
Ghanaians have not forgotten about the infamous PDS scam through which Ghana lost over a billion dollars of grant from the United States of America.
You would recall how in the year 2019, PDS a company made up of an appointee and cronies of President Akufo-Addo, used a “fraudulent” Insurance Guarantee to takeover the GHc20 billion assets of the Electricity Company of Ghana.
This scam was occasioned and facilitated by the Vice President of the Republic, Dr.
Bawumia to amend the requirement of a bank guarantee that has to provided by the concessionaire (PDS) into an Insurance guarantee, the validity of which government deliberately refused to authenticate so they could capture that important state asset, ECG for the family and friends of President Akufo-Addo.
Even more bizarre and sad is the fact that till date, PDS has refused to refund to the State the electricity bills worth over GHc1.2 billion which they collected from ECG customers during the pendency of the ECG-PDS concession Agreement.
Ladies and gentlemen, you would also recall how this same jocular and corrupt Vice President, Dr.
Bawumia, who is now very much aware of his very dubious reputation as the most perfidious politician Ghanaians have ever seen, procured an already existing Asaase GPS app, at a cost of a whopping US$2.5 million (i.e about 110 billion old Ghana cedis at the time) and branded it as a GhanaPost GPS app for Ghanaians which he claimed was more advanced than the GPS systems of advanced counties such as the UK, Germany, Sweden etc.
This was despite the fact that the original app was already available and accessible to all Ghanaians for free, hence, there was no need for government to have paid that a huge sum of money for that app.
Again, Ghanaians have not forgotten how President Akufo-Addo in the year 2018 sort to personally defraud the State by giving executive approval for the Ameri-Novation deal, the cost of which had been inflated by US$800 million dollars.
But for the vigilance of the NDC minority in Parliament and certain patriotic Civil Society Organizations, that is how much President Akufo-Addo would have stolen from the state through that transaction alone.
We have not forgotten how President Akufo-Addo and his cabal of family friends sort to capture and appropriate Ghana’s gold royalties for themselves through the infamous “Agyapa” deal.
Here again, but for the vigilance of the NDC minority in Parliament, certain patriotic Civil Society Organizations, and the Special Prosecutor at the time, Martin Amidu, President Akufo-Addo and his cronies would have captured our national gold royalties for the next fifteen (15) years.
In fact, as we speak the millions of monies that were paid by government to African Legal Associates, a law firm owned by cousin to the President, Gabby Otchere Darko have not been refunded to the State.
This is despite the fact that the State hasn’t benefited in any way from the shady “Agyapa” deal which has been suspended by the President.
Ghanaians have also not forgotten about the PPA “Donkomi” Contracts for sale scandal in which the then Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority, Mr.
A.B Adjei and his agents were caught on tape selling government contracts that had been awarded by certain Ministries and government agencies to his private company, Talent Discovery Limited in flagrant disregard for the Public Procurement Act.
Indeed, investigations conducted by the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) revealed that Mr.
A.B Adjei siphoned and stashed millions of Ghana cedis totaling over GHc34 million (i.e 340 billion old cedis) into his personal bank account, the source of which he could not explain or justify.
Also, we have not forgotten how President Akufo-Addo after appointing dozens of his family relatives including his own daughter and “Baby Mama” into key positions in his government, went ahead to give the Duty Free Shop and CIP lounge at Terminal 3 built by the visionary Nation Builder, John Dramani Mahama to his daughter, Valerie Obaze and the wife of his cousin and Executive Secretray, Nana Asante Bediatuo and a daughter of his Personal Assistant Saratu Atta, in breach of the Public Procurement Act.
Today, these cash cows that should have generated funds for the Ghana Airport Company to pay back the loan they contracted to build terminal 3 and to improve the financial health of the company have been given to cronies of the President, while the GACL is starved of funds to even pay the welfare and retirement benefits of their workers.
More importantly, friends from the media, we have also not forgotten about how between the years 2018-2020, over 500 excavators seized from illegal miners were stolen, sold and in some cases distributed to government officials and NPP apparatchiks to promote their illegal mining businesses.
Till date, none of the 500 excavators, gold and other equipment seized from illegal miners by the illegal mining Taskforce established by President Akufo-Addo have been accounted for.
You would recall that when the missing excavators scandal broke, the then minister for Environment Prof.
Frimpong Boateng accused the NPP Regional Vice Chairman for the Central Region, Mr.
Ekow Ewusi of stealing the excavators in question and filed a criminal complaint with the Police to that effect, whereupon Ekow was arrested.
Subsequent to that, a video tape recording emerged which captured the two individuals in a heated argument about how the seized excavators were distributed to officials and functionaries of the ruling NPP and the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government on grounds that their party needs money (“Party hia Sika”).
In that tape, Ekow Ewusi was heard mentioning the General Secreatry of the NPP, Mr.
John Boadu as one of the NPP bigwigs who were given some of the seized excavators for his illegal mining businesses that have destroyed our water bodies and environment.
Is it not therefore the height of hypocrisy or perhaps sheer impudence driven by the intoxications of political power for John Boadu to mount a moral horse and talk about corruption today?
We are calling on John Boadu and other NPP functionaries who are alleged to be neck-deep in the destruction of our forests through illegal mining activities to come out and clear their sullied reputations first, before gathering the moral high ground to pontificate about corruption.
We can understand why John Boadu is pained and petrified by President Mahama’s call for Ghanaians to vote out the NPP in 2024 so they can be held accountable for their unprecedented thievery and corruption.
Clearly, John Boadu knows that he cannot pass the accountability test when his role in that infamous missing excavators scandal and the illicit galamsey trade is scrutinized.
We wish to remind John Boadu that the day of accountability may tarry, but it will surely arrive.
Of course ladies and gentlemen, we have not forgotten, the “galamsey fraud” expose by ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in which a Presidential staffer and Secretary to the then Inter-Ministerial Committee against illegal Mining, Charles Bissue was caught on tape taking bribes to promote the illegal mining activities of some foreigners and their local NPP collaborators.
So alarming and pervasive has corruption become under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Dr.
Bawumia that even fertilizer worth millions of cedis meant for farmers under their much-touted Planting for & Jobs program have been stolen and smuggled outside the country by some greedy elements in the ruling NPP.