NPP selling KIA to themselves – Agbodza

Member of Parliament for the Adaklu constituency, Kwame Agbodza, has accused Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of collapsing key sectors of the economy including the aviation sector.

Mr Agbodza told Johnnie Hughes on TV3's New Day Monday, September 7 that when Kufuor took over the administration of the country from the Rawlings, Ghana had the Ghana Airways Company Limited which was working effectively.

However, he said, the John Agyekum Kufuor-led government collapsed the company and sold the properties to themselves.

Mr Agbodza also accused the current NPP administration of trying to sell the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to themselves, a situation he called on Ghanaians to speak against.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the National Democratic Congress(NDC)’s manifesto, he said, “Imagine if the NDC never existed, what will be the state of the aviation sector today? What has the NPP done in the aviation sector?

“Don’t forget Ghana even had our own airline at the time the NDC left power, previously not the immediate one, when the NPP came they sold it off.

“They sold the properties of Ghana Airways across the world in Dusseldorf, in London, in New York, they sold it off. They sold it to themselves and formed the Ghana International Airline which collapsed in their face.

“Which airport can the NPP say they expanded? See Kotoka, nothing. Yes, they have taken additional loan to continue what NDC was doing at Kumasi. Ho Airport has been completed sitting down there and they have refused to activate it and then they go to Cape Coast.

“Ask yourself today, when Kotoka is rated the most improved airport in the world, what has NPP added to it?

“Today they are trying to sell that to themselves. Kotoka has got a capacity for the next five to seven years because it is built to handle five to ten million passengers a year, currently, we are doing 1.2 million so there is no need to do any extra terminal or anything, we can manage that terminal.

When asked to explain what he meant by the NPP selling Kotoka to themselves, he said “they are trying to sell it to themselves, they went to form ponzi companies abroad as they have created for Agyapa which is a ponzi scheme, they have gone to create all sort of ponzi schemes in tax havens to annex the wealth of this country and hand it to individuals and I am surprised that Ghanaians are not annoyed.

“Which airport can NPP say they have expanded? Nothing. Yes they have taken additional loan for Kumasi to continue what NDC was doing.” Reacting to his comments on the same show, Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, asked Ghanaians to ignore the allegations of his colleague lawmaker against the NPP because he has no proof.

He further said the NPP government has been credited with instituting projects and initiatives that touch the very core of the Ghanaian society.

“The NPP had introduced projects to ensure the well-being of the people. The introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme obviously did a lot for the greater majority of our people, the introduction of the free SHS has made education an equalizing factor among all households regardless of the economic background.

“Calling each other thieves just for the sake of it obviously is what it is that will generate the public dislike for politicians. I think it is an honourable vocation that we all offer ourselves to help mourn people and so we can continue to call ourselves thieves and let the people of Ghana hate the political class.

“It is important that when you allege you must prove but you hear comments from particularly the NDC opposition which they fail to prove and ask others to prove,” he said.