<<Print>>

Founder and Leader of the United Renaissance Party (URP), Chuck Kofi Wayo, says Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, was a flop and never dazzled as the NPP might want Ghanaians to believe when he took his turn at the 3rd Institute of Economic Affairs Presidential Encounter. To him, though the free Senior High School Education policy being touted by the NPP leader is feasible, he needs no rocket scientist to tell him that Nana Addo�s posture and body language during the course of his presentation showed that �he was just lying�. He has thus cautioned Ghanaians not to entrust the destiny of the country in his hands during the upcoming December polls because even when he (Nana Addo) was an MP, he failed to live up to his responsibilities to his constituents. �This man (Nana Addo) was an MP for twelve years and I was shocked when I went to Kyebi and I was sent to Abusco (Abuakwa State College). When you visit the students� toilet and you come out, you stink and you have to go and take your bath right away. The students wake up at four and go looking for water to take their bath�so if I was MP and my priority is educating the children, don�t you think I would take all my common fund and go down there and try and help them out?� he quizzed. RecountIing the harsh economic conditions the previous NPP government visited on Ghanaians, Kofi Wayo said, the NPP has nothing new to offer Ghanaians and their interest lies in only increasing fuel prices and selling state property regardless of the feelings of the people. �When I asked my friends in the NPP why (they are treating Ghanaians so)�they always told me that in Ghana people only like (to hear one speak) big English, so if you speak English�they will always tell you �the holistic approach to the totality of the capacity building is consistent with�and the people go yeah (the guy can speak fluent English),� he said amidst laughter in an interview on Radio Gold. He continued; �I know these people (NPP), I was with them ok�they told me the Ghanaian doesn�t have a memory, they just forget. They told me all you got to do in Ghana, is to offer them money and election is about money. You heard Jake (Obetsebi-Lamptey) when he appeared on Paul Adom Otchere�s show (Good Evening Ghana)? �He said my father taught me three things in politics: (1) money (2) money (3) money... no ethics and morality,� he said. Commenting on the issue of Nana Addo�s free SHS education policy and how it will be costed, Mr. Wayo urged the electorate to find out from him (Nana Addo) whether the �monies are going to come out of his pockets�. Nana Addo, in his speech at the IEA Presidential Encounter, outlined his policy direction in the education sector, stating that �the cost of providing free secondary school education, which includes tuition, boarding, feeding and all the other charges for the 2013-2014 academic year, is estimated at 0.1% of our GDP. This translates into some GH�78 million.� According to the NPP Presidential Candidate, the figure will rise to GH�1.45 billion (1.3% of GDP) in 2016, insisting that if the current administration can spend over GHS600 million on judgement debts then the country can find the money to fund the policy. But the maverick politician minced no words in rubbishing off Nana Addo�s promise to make education free. �Nana Akuffo Addo can never make education free. He is lying to Ghanaians because they say Ghanaians have poor memory. They lie to you and you just take it. It is tax supported�you see I said tax supported education? That is the way it is supposed to be because the money isn�t coming out of his pockets it is coming from the tax payer or it is coming from the resources of the land. So yes, it is feasible (free SHS education)�it depends on where your priorities are...Ghanaians open your eyes, don't believe these people (NPP) I was with them and I know them,� he said.