George Opoku Amponsah, a Social Interest Advocate, Politician and farmer has appealed to the President of the Republic to rather than anything address the nation on the 6th of March instead of the usual commemorative activities that are done across Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), regional as well as national levels.
In a petition signed on the last day of January, 2023 and delivered to the Presidency with copies to the Speaker of Parliament, Council State Chairman, the Interior minister and Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II, Mr Amponsah stated that the current economic conditions in the country makes it untenable to use state funds for an exercise that could be replaced with one state broadcast from the Presidency.
He noted that the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE) programme as well as the challenges with payment of former NABCo trainees as well at the challenges in paying personnel at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) give meaning for government to rather use savings from the upcoming state activity to cushion itself or service debts owed government employees.
The petitioner argues with a hypothesis that if the 216 MMDAs across the country were each using 10, 000 cedis to carry out the upcoming 6th march celebration, a cessation of same would save the country a whopping GHC 2,160,000.00.
ARGUMENTS:
The Social Interest Advocate further argues that a halt of the celebrations at the 16 regional capitals if they were to use GHC 20, 000 can now save the nation a staggering GHC 320 000.00.
Similarly, Mr Opoku Amponsah said the national celebration intended to be held at the Volta region if they were to use at least GHC 500, 000. 00 could now be saved with a halt to same.
In total, the best youth farmer at Juaben in his petition posited that the Presidency by a consideration of his appeal would be saving the country an astronomical amount of GHC 2, 980 000.00 when it decides to halt the independence day celebrations.
APPEAL:
Speaking to this reporter, the petitioner said it was important that government showed concern about the worsening economic conditions in the country by acting considerate and appropriately.
He noted that no one spends recklessly when that person realises that what they have cannot sustain them in life.
Mr Opoku Amponsah therefore called on the President to make use of what has become famously called “the fellow Ghanaian series” to address the nation on the 6th of March as the nation prepares for the 66th edition than the use of state funds for same across the country.
“I am confident that the Presidency would see reason in my petition and consider same so that we can utilise our state resources prudently since what we are seeing now is a semblance of an economic crisis which does not warrant profligate spending on just a 2 hour march”, Mr Opoku Amponsah stated.
STORY BY MICHAEL OFOSU-AFRIYIE