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The Akufo-Addo government is able to find the money for “all kinds of useless” things but says it is unable to raise money to finish some 27 of the E-blocks it inherited from the Mahama administration, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has observed.

Speaking on Class FM Thursday, 28 October 2021 about the decision by the government to terminate the contracts for 27 of the E-blocks over lack of money, the former deputy education minister said: “You’re seeing a government that has totally misplaced its priority, does not care about what will move this country forward; it is only interested in their own creature comforts. It is such an embarrassment”.

“This is a national disgrace and we must not accept this and we are waiting for the minister [of education] to come to parliament and see our approval for this decision and he will certainly be met with the kind of resistance that the people of this country expect from parliament”, he said.

He said the government “must prioritise education”, insisting: “These schools must be immediately completed”.

Reacting to the explanation by the government that the previous administration made no budgetary allocation for the construction of the 27 E-blocks whose contracts have been terminated, Mr Ablakwa said: “Nobody leaves money behind for any project”.

“You come; when the national revenue is raised, taxes are collected, you do your allocation, you prioritise what must be prioritised”, he noted.

In his view, the Akufo-Addo government has shown that education is not among its priorities.

“This is a government that finds money for all kinds of useless endeavours, all kinds of extravagance, all kinds of ostentation”, he fumed.

“Look at the size of this government. Look at the size of presidential delegations. Look at the length of convoys – the number of new vehicles that they buy, a presidential convoy of 60 70, 80 vehicles – I mean, these are the things that we should cut down on so that we can redirect those resources into completing schools, completing hospitals”, he suggested. 

“So, I am totally outraged at this decision; this is very disappointing”, he added.