The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah Region has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, to apologise and retract over comments he made which they deem as demeaning to persons from the Northern part of Ghana.
The party says Dr Akoto sought to suggest in an interview aired on Accra-based Joy TV on Wednesday, 30 October 2019, that the government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme has benefitted people of the North to the extent that not only are they now financial elevated to buy themselves motorbikes, but they are now able to build cement houses and roof them with modernised materials.
“We find these false statements very insulting and grossly disrespectful to we indigenes of the Northern parts of the country and as such we give the Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto an ultimatum of 24hours to retract and apologise for the denigration or face the consequences,” Savannah Regional NDC Communication Officer, Malik Basintale, stated in a press release on Thursday, 31 October 2019.
Debunking claims by the minister that the PFJ programme has been a success and yielding positive returns, Mr Basintale argued that “farmers now cry of high prices of raw materials causing an increase in prices of commodities at the market centres affecting both sellers and buyers. Importation of rice alone have risen from about $500million in 2016 to more than $1.1billion in 2018. The dollar rate is still on a marathon rise amidst huge ‘ghost’ exportation of food”.
The statement challenged the minister to point to one farmer in the North who has been successful as a result of participating in the PFJ programme and has gained monetary returns in order to build cement and block houses with modern roofs, in addition, to the purchase of motorbikes as he alleged.
“Failure to do so, we call for his outright dismissal and demand an unqualified apology from the government for the misconduct,” Mr Basintale added in the statement.
Source: classfmonline.com
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What is insultive about this statement from the Minister? It's true. Poverty is at the northern side of the country more than the south and the others. Because of this the people cannot buy to themselves what they want in their lives and more so build the type of houses they want so, if by this flagship programme they now have money to build modern houses contrary to the old ones, what is wrong about this statement. I have live in the north for so many years so I know what I am talking about so, National Demon Consult (NDC) members stop disturbing our ears for this your propagandist modus operand i cannot win you power. If you guys truly love the northerners you would have made their live better during your regime.
DID MAHAMA RESIGN WHEN DURING HIS EVIDENCE BASED MEET THE PRESS, HE PRESENTED SOMEONE FROM THE "NORTH" WHO HAD BENEFITED FROM HIS INTERVENTION POLICY BY REARING PIGS AND COULD THEREFORE TAKE GOOD CARE OF HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THE HON. AGRIC. MINSTER SAID AND MAHAMA'S OWN. GIVE US A BREAK. DO YOU PEOPLE NOT PRIDE YOURSELVES THAT YOU ARE THE POOREST IN THE COUNTRY?
NDC is at it again. As desperate as NDC is, so he finds no bounds at hitting anything against his opponents to make cheap political gains. This time I think NDC is just going too far to play the tribal card of bigotry, distastefully below the belt for political points. It is very obvious to note that, NDC lacks the competence to appeal, issue-based and civilly, to the electorates. Yesterday it was all about the President caught napping at a summit, a vicious cycle which pushes the practical sense of Party-politics, as practiced in advance democracy, in the abyss
I belief NDC is under spiritual attack thy do not know what to do now . You now respect the word "Apology" Hmmmm, so what did u do when you deliberately insulted Otumfo . May God have mercy on our hypocrisy.
NDC are ***barred word***, if one say I have help to stand on your feet is that an insult? THE LEVEL OF YOUR FO00LISHNESS IN UNMEASURANBLE YOU NDC PEOPLE.
DID MAHAMA APOLOGIZE OR RESIGN WHEN HE SAID ASHANTIS WERE UNGRATEFUL TO THE EXTENT THAT EVEN IF HE PAVED THE STREETS OF KUMASI WITH GOLD, THEY WILL NOT BE GRATEFUL. DID MAHAMA RESIGN WHEN DURING HIS EVIDENCE BASED MEET THE PRESS, HE PRESENTED SOMEONE FROM THE NORTH WHO HAD BENEFITED FROM HIS INTERVENTION POLICY BY REARING PIGS AND COULD THEREFORE TAKE GOOD CARE OF HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY? DON'T THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH YOUR VEINS. YOU ARE SO OBSESSED WITH ASHANTIS THAT WHEN THEY SPEAK, YOU PUT PROPAGANDA ON IT BECAUSE AS THE STORY RIGHTLY SAID, THE MINISTER'S STATEMENT SOUGHT TO SUGGEST" IS THAT WHAT HE MEANT? PURE CONJECTURES AND INFERENCE. MASTER WE ARE FED UP WITH YOUR TRIBAL MENTALITY ALL THE TIME.
IT SEEMS GOD HAS CURSED THE WORD "NDC" WHEN PUT TOGETHER. THEY ARE THE SAME EVERYWHERE. CRUELNESS AND JUST FULLLLS. ALWAYS FANNING THE EMBERS OF TRIBALISM AS THE ONLY SOCIAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMME THEY HAVE IN MIND.
its embarrassing to hear a state minister, a legislator make such an intimidating statement a divisive statement which can cause national issues and we are politicising it. is the minister saying that before the inception of the program northern farmers couldn't put up block houses, is the program designed for only the north. that is the impact of the program in order regions. let's stop this ***barred word*** and do the right things. Ghana is not for NDC or NPP.
You can go to hell, when did you start putting up proper structures in the north. Previously your believe was that when you build proper house in the north, you will be killed. So most of your rich men have mansions and very nice buildings all over the big cities in Ghana. Go back to the north and see the buildings of these rich men. That is why the three northern regions are still under develop. So give us a break and start something better. North too is a nice place to live.
Desperation will kill them. Was the statement an insult? Be wise enough and give Ghanaians a good manisfesto and stop this childish behaviour.