Government has rubbished claims by Presidential Candidate of the\u00a0New Patriotic Party that it has released $10 million for the \u00a0printing of presidential diaries, describing the assertion as \u00a0complete misinformation that must be discarded.<\/p>\n
Nana Akufo-Addo, who is on an European tour, told NPP supporters in \u00a0Amsterdam that the presidency is spending the huge amount of tax \u00a0payers\u2019 money for the printing of diaries at a time when Ghanaians \u00a0are faced with numerous hardships.<\/p>\n
\u201cI listen to the disillusionment of the average Ghana with \u00a0politicians who promise them relief and end up bringing them grief \u00a0when they get into office. I listen to the journalist who is \u00a0saddened by the revelation that a government can spend $10 million \u00a0to print presidential diaries. Yes, you heard me right: $10 \u00a0million. And yet we are barely able to scrape together $10 million \u00a0as a down payment on our debt to Nigeria for the supply of a truly
\nessential product \u2013 gas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has in a \u00a0Facebook post, condemned what he says is Nana Addo\u2019s penchant for \u00a0spreading falsehood instead of cross-checking his facts.<\/p>\n
According to him, Nana Addo should have produced evidence to back \u00a0his claim and not put out such unsubstantiated allegations intended \u00a0to score cheap political points.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the flagbearer of the NPP has decided to dabble in a campaign \u00a0of disinformation by claiming that a whopping US $ 10 million was \u00a0spent on the printing of Presidential diaries. It would have been \u00a0expected that the media would hold him to strict proof but alas \u00a0they won\u2019t. Unless the diaries are draped in gold or diamonds, \u00a0surely it should have occurred to him that the figure he quoted was \u00a0spectacularly outrageous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kwakye further wrote “He (Nana Addo) may want to take note of the \u00a0fact that if given their lavish taste in government between 2001- 2008, it was the practice to spend such huge amounts on diaries; we \u00a0in the NDC are not given to such ostentation. We have adopted a \u00a0process that ensures that corporate sponsorship is used to finance
\nthe printing of limited quantities of diaries. This lack of thoroughness and attention to detail which leads him to make unfounded claims against government explains why his party is in\u00a0tatters at the moment and in its worst shape ever.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ofosu later clarified in an interview with Accra-based Kasapa \u00a0FM, that government was not directly involved in publishing the \u00a0diaries but only gave permission to individuals who wanted to run \u00a0that business.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this was not government business, there was no tender. \u00a0Individuals approached government to seek permission to publish the \u00a0diaries. They also proceeded to solicit for sponsorship from\u00a0corporate institutions, so if you check the back pages of the \u00a0diaries you\u2019ll see the sponsoring companies with the adverts there.\u00a0Government is committed to spending state funds prudently.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Deputy Minister however failed to mention exactly how much it cost for the diaries to be printed.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Government has rubbished claims by Presidential Candidate of the\u00a0New Patriotic Party that it has released $10 million for the \u00a0printing of presidential diaries, describing the assertion as \u00a0complete misinformation that must be discarded. Nana Akufo-Addo, who is on an European tour, told NPP supporters in \u00a0Amsterdam that the presidency is spending the huge amount of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":29065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[43,38],"yoast_head":"\n