Pressure group Arise Ghana is lacing its boots to lead Ghanaians to hit the streets over the escalating hardship in the country.
Food, commodities and services prices have gone up astronomically following the incessant fuel hikes this year.
Food inflation has gone up beyond 23% dwindling purchasing power among the Ghanaian working class.
It is for this reason that some youth and political activists have come together to pile pressure on the President Akufo-Addo government to take drastic measures to tackle the hardship.
In a press statement Wednesday, Arise Ghana bemoaned the impunity among top government officials as the citizens struggle for a three square meal.
“Distinguished friends from the media, corruption remains endemic and pervasive under President Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Bawumia who have turned themselves into the greatest enablers and promoters of same,” the statement noted.
“Despite being the most resourced government in Ghana’s history, this government has wasted all the unprecedented revenues that have accrued to them totaling about GHS500 billion mainly through profligacy and
corruption.
“At the risk of sounding monotonous, it bears reminding that corruption scandals such as the BOST scandal involving the illegal sale of five million liters of contaminated fuel to dubious entities, the Australian Visa Fraud
Scandal, the Galamsey Fraud Scandal, the PPA Contracts for Sale scandal, the PDS scandal, the Missing Excavators scandal and the most recent Sputnik V Scandal remain unresolved instances of daylight heist that President Akufo-Addo has either turned a blind eye to or whitewashed the perpetrators,” the statement said.
The pressure group also indicated that “All attempts to demand accountability for the use of Covid-19 funds continues to be suppressed by President Akufo-Addo who has effectively doused the flame of accountability.”
The group said the street protest was important because “at a time when majority of Ghanaians are suffering and experiencing excruciating hardships, President Akufo-Addo continues to travel in ultra-luxurious and hyper-expensive private jets at high expense to the already-impoverished Ghanaian taxpayer just to satisfy his creature comforts.”
Achimota Forest
The Akufo-Addo administration has come under pressure following the declassification of the notable forest reserve in the national capital, Accra– the Achimota Forest.
A section of Ghanaians believe the reserve has been shared among top government officials and their cohorts although floods keep soaring due to the depletion of green spaces in the Accra region.
Arise Ghana says it is convinced that the government is not being truthful to Ghanaians on the matter, especially as a former appointee of the regime, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, who died as the CEO of the Ghana Forestry Commission allegedly included some portions of the reserve in his will for relatives.
“We demand an immediate withdrawal of E.I 144 and an end to the land grabbing of the Achimota Forest Reserve lands,” the group stated.
“Caution is hereby served to President Akufo-Addo and his land grabbers to stay their hands off the Achimota Forest lands.”
The group urged that Parliament take the matter up.
“We urge Parliament who are the representatives of the people to institute a bi-partisan probe into the matters relating to the sale of lands in the Achimota Forest immediately.”
This probe, Arise Ghana indicated, should be transparent and all persons, be they past or present government officials, civil or public servants, and all who have grabbed the lands be named and dealt with.