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FORMER DEPUTY Ashanti Regional Minister during the New Patriotic Party (NPP) regime, Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, has condemned comments made by Joseph Yammin, the National Democratic Congress� (NDC) Ashanti Regional Secretary that ex-President Kufuor is wicked, describing them as hollow and lacking logic. Yammin, described former President Kufuor as wicked because according to him, Mr. Kufuor left no money in the state coffers for his predecessor to continue with the projects his administration started. He particularly descended on Mr. Kufuor for not leaving behind resources for President Mills to continue with the Sofoline Interchange in Kumasi. Reacting to the NDC guru�s comments, Mr. Antwi insisted that �President Kufuor was in office for the entire country and not for Ashantis alone and could not have satisfied Ashantis at the expense of the development of Ghana.� The former deputy regional minister said Mr. Kufuor�s vision on assumption of office was to liberate the country from poverty and improve the living conditions of the Ghanaians. According to Mr. Antwi, it was in view of this that the former president distributed resources and projects equitably to the regions devoid of ethnic and political consideration, noting, �his fairness did not mean wickedness to his kinfolk.� He also indicated that unlike Mr. Kufuor, President Mills had been discriminating against the Ashanti region ever since he became president, citing the bad nature of the Accra-Kumasi road which was affecting businesses and causing fatal road accidents. According to Mr. Assibey Antwi, President Kufuor was a national asset because all the social interventions he initiated under his administration were meant for the benefit of the entire country including Ashantis. He mentioned the �National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), free maternal care for pregnant women, National Youth Employment Program (NYEP), the Capitation Grant, the Metro Mass Transit which gave school children free bus ride, Housing scheme for farmers and workers and the establishment of a Housing Bank, Youth in Agriculture and Aforestation/Re-aforestation/Tonga system of inter crop trees with food crops.� Mr. Assibey Antwi said former President Kufuor gave the Ashanti region its fare share of model schools and upgraded Teacher Training Colleges into diploma awarding institutions while equipping all principals of teacher training colleges with cross-country vehicles. He said Ashantis were grateful to Mr. Kufuor for establishing the Accident and Emergency Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital where a modern 205-capacity mortuary and Oncology unit had been completed whilst work on the maternity block was steadily progressing. The former deputy minister said the Ashanti region also benefitted from infrastructure such two interchanges under President Kufuor�s regime, daring Mr. Yammin to show any meaningful project that President Mills had done in the Ashanti region since assuming political power three and half years ago.