Share this
The National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has aimed Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, for his recent comments labelling President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a “monumental failure.”
President Akufo-Addo recently asserted that he had fulfilled his mandate as Ghana’s leader. However, in a social media post, Franklin Cudjoe responded by describing the president’s tenure as a monumental failure. He pointed to what he believes are shortcomings in managing the economy, which he claims have resulted in significant hardships for Ghanaians.
In a Facebook post on August 31, 2024, Cudjoe expressed his disappointment with the president’s performance, stating, “Sorry, Sir, you failed monumentally. You promised to put your presidency on the line to fight galamsey. You failed! You wasted almost all the gains from the $13bn investment (the highest Foreign Direct Investment made by any president in the fourth republic) made by your predecessor John Mahama in the oil and energy sectors mostly on vanity projects, got badly exposed by COVID-19, borrowed billions into a debt iceberg, and forced us into a reckless debt exchange programme by giving us wicked financial haircuts while taxing us into penury.”
Mr. Cudjoe further criticized the government’s handling of the economy, claiming it had deepened poverty, increased unemployment, and led to what he termed a “junk economy.”
In response, Salam Mustapha took to social media to defend President Akufo-Addo’s record, questioning Cudjoe’s authority to criticize the president.
Mustapha wrote, “You write that this president has failed monumentally? Are you serious? Your…looks like you have been pumped with nitrogen gas. You, who cannot even manage IMANI Ghana properly, now behave like a paragon of knowledge?”
Mustapha emphasized several achievements of the Akufo-Addo administration, including the implementation of Free Senior High School (SHS), the transformation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the establishment of a comprehensive national identification system, and the construction of 20 new hospitals.
He also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects, such as the Ofankor-Nsawam dualization, as proof of the administration’s accomplishments.
He continued, “An administration that has gone through hard exogenous factors yet still manages to have a stable country? Of course, there are flaws; it’s a human institution, but on the balance of scale, any reasonable person will say this president has failed?”
Salam Mustapha accused Franklin Cudjoe of acting as a “mercenary” under the guise of a Civil Society Organization (CSO) and urged him to be honest in his criticisms.
“You’re free to criticize this government and even the president, but be truthful. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not a failure. His achievements stand tall, unlike the failed John Mahama whose return you crave for,” he added.
