President encourages Ghanaians to fairly criticise him

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has encouraged the citizenry to have the confidence to criticise people managing the affairs of the nation when they do things wrongly.

The President, who, in his inaugural speech on January 7, 2017, charged the people of Ghana to be citizens and not spectators, believed that being able to voice out the flaws of people in power was the patriotic duty of citizens.

The President made this statement over the weekend, when he joined the alumni and continuing students of Adisadel College (ADISCO) to mark the 109th Anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Senior High School in Cape Coast.

“When we make the wrong choices, we must act to set things right. When those put in charge of running the affairs of state get it wrong, we must have the courage, the humanity, and the selflessness to say so,” the President charged.

Addressing the multitude of old and present students of Adisco in an auditorium decorated with the black and white colors of the school, President Akufo-Addo advised the citizens not to engage in activities that can paint the country black in the eyes of the international communities.

He said: “We should also not be seen at every given opportunity to be running down our nation merely to realise our narrow, parochial and partisan interest. That is not acceptable patriotism.”

Quoting from the celebrated American orator and Senator, Carl Schurz, who, in the 19th Century, said: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right,” the President noted that that should be the underlining belief of Ghanaians, if the nation is to be successful in consolidating a sense of patriotism in citizens and generations yet unborn.

President Akufo-Addo reiterated that his government remains committed to the development of a free, fair society, in which all persons, irrespective of economic circumstances and social barriers, are able to access education, acquire skills, and contribute effectively to the progress and prosperity of our nation.

“We should have the belief that our nation can make its own unique contribution to the growth of world civilisation, and be able to generate prosperity for the masses of its people, building a Ghana Beyond Aid. All of us gathered here, and millions out there, inside our borders and outside in the diaspora, share this love for the place where all of us feel completely at home,” the President stated.

Giving a roll call on prominent individuals who passed through Adisco, President Akufo-Addo mentioned the Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyeremanten, Energy Minister Peter Amewu, as well as the Minister for Works and Housing, Atta Akyea, among others.

Exhibiting what he knows best; making the audience active all through his speeches, President Akufo-Addo saved a very popular name for the latter part, which, after mentioning, turned the auditorium into a comedy theatre for a short while, as everyone could not control his or her laughter

“Chairperson, I’ve also been made aware that Nana Appiah Mensah, aka NAM1, of MenzGold fame or notoriety, depending on your viewpoint, is a graduate of Adisco,” the audience laughed.
But, on a more serious note, the President reiterated that Ghana cannot prosper and join the ranks of developed nations if it continued to export raw materials without adding value to them.

However, the drive for industralisation and value addition, the President observed, could not be achieved with an uneducated population, thus the commitment of the government to ensuring that the Free Senior High School policy succeeded.

The introduction of the Double-Track calendar system, President Akufo-Addo stressed, is a temporary measure aimed at ensuring that no student was denied the opportunity to further his or her education. “The construction of new facilities and expansion of existing ones in the 400 high schools, running double track, are progressing steadily, made possible by a $1.5 billion GETFund securitisation initiative,” he said.

Source: thechronicle.com.gh