The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who is partnering the flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, for the December polls, will help the latter to transform the country.
“Her nomination as running mate by President Mahama was unanimously confirmed by the National Executive Committee (NEC), Council of Elders, and our party’s Founder, because we know that she is the safe pair of hands who will complement President John Dramani Mahama to execute his vision for the transformation of this country, and the creation of prosperity for all when he is elected,” Sammy Gyamfi, Communications Officer of the party, said at a news conference in Accra yesterday.
According to him, the international and local compliments the flagbearer had received following the nomination of an accomplished woman scholar to partner him was revelling.
“The NDC revels in the positive local and international euphoria that has greeted her announcement as running mate, and the renewed confidence in our politics it has brought about. We are absolutely convinced beyond a shred of doubt that our flagbearer, by this spectacular choice, has delivered a political masterstroke that will propel the NDC to a resounding victory on December 7, 2020, and end Akufo-Addo’s reign of oppression, dishonesty, insensitivity, hopelessness, and discrimination against women, corruption, and nepotism.”
Describing the vice presidential candidate as a God-fearing woman, Sammy Gyamfi posited that the appointment of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as running mate demonstrates that “we recognise the towering contribution of women to the development of this country, and believe in their capacity to lead at the very top of our political leadership – the Presidency.
“This is because the appointment of Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, an astute scholar, an achiever, a well-accomplished educationist, and a dedicated public servant, is a well-deserved choice that has birthed a new paradigm in Ghana’s politics and provided a new sense of inspiration to the women of this country, who have made several sacrifices for the development and progress of this country. Indeed, this decision is a victory for inclusive democracy and has further enhanced our democratic gains and credentials as a country.”
Barely 24 hours into the NDC vice presidential candidate’s nomination, the ruling party, led by its Communications Officer, went to town levelling accusations against the vice-aspirant. Amongst the accusations was that the aspirant cancelled the teacher trainee allowance when she served as Education Minister, but the NDC Communication Director described the accusation as false.
“As you may be aware, the erstwhile Mahama government, to ensure equity and equality among tertiary students, converted allowances for teacher trainees into student loans in order to abolish the quota system of admissions into Colleges of Education, and increase enrolment and teaching opportunities for the youth of this country. As such, students who did not receive allowances got their loans. This was a decision President Mahama himself took responsibility for,” he said.
This policy, the Communications Officer added, was not properly understood by many, and was thus exploited by then candidate Akufo-Addo and the NPP for cheap political capital and electoral gain, with the promise that they would fully restore same if elected.
“The sad reality today is that, instead of the full restoration of the allowances, as was promised by President Akufo-Addo and the NPP, teacher trainees are being served with a partial restoration of the allowances, which is being paid in a rather very erratic manner and for only eight months, instead of 12 months, as was the case before the conversion. In fact, our checks this morning show that the Akufo-Addo government hasn’t paid any allowances to teacher trainees since February 2020.”
Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi added that the Akufo-Addo-government had rather increased the school fees of teacher trainees and introduced feeding fees, which used to be free under the Mahama government.
Worst of it all, he further added, was the abolishment of the automatic employment of teachers, and the introduction of needless licensure exams, and an obnoxious mandatory national service policy for teacher trainee graduates by the Akufo-Addo government.
“With Professor Naana as Vice President of the Republic, teacher trainees can trust that the obnoxious Licensure Examination and nuisance National Service policy, which are convenient excuses for the Akufo-Addo-government’s unwillingness and inability to employ teachers, will be cancelled, and more importantly, automatic recruitment of teacher trainee graduates restored,” Sammy Gyamfi told the press.
Turning his attention to other issues however, Sammy Gyamfi disputed the claim that the NDC vice aspirant was not fit for the office because she was not an Economist, describing the claim as misconceived and laughable.
“The claim by some that Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is not fit for the vice presidency, because she is not an economist, is misconceived and laughable. It is instructive to note that the veep position is not about economists, but the ability to lead and solve the hydra-headed problems confronting the nation.”
The post Jane will help Mahama transform Ghana -Sammy Gyamfi appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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