…To Keep Fire Burning For Victory
The Director-General of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Agyeman Prempeh, has implored members of TESCON to take charge and ensure they continue to keep power in 2020 and beyond.
According to him, the Danquah-Busia-Dombo political tradition fought well in the pre-colonial and colonial era with movements like the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society, the NLM and the UGCC, but won political power first with Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia as Prime Minister in the Second Republic. In the use of this power, Dr. Busia made rural development a priority area with a lot of projects launched to provide good drinking water, electricity and health facilities for rural communities.
Under the Rural Electrification Scheme, a total of fifty-eight towns and villages were connected to the national grid. He further stated that this era also gave opportunity to groom H.E John Agyekum Kufuor (then Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs).
Unfortunately, the tradition lost political power in 1972 abruptly which saw the UP’s political tradition in the wilderness for over 30 years.
Speaking at TESCON general meeting of the University of Ghana Chapter, the NADMO boss stressed that in 2001, the good people of Ghana gave the NPP another opportunity because they knew the party was good at using power.
Hon. Agyemang-Prempeh enumerated that the tenure of H.E President Kufuor saw the introduction of pro-poor social interventions like National Health Insurance Scheme, National Ambulance Service, and Capitation Grant for school children, School Feeding Program (SFP), Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Program (LEAP), Metro Mass Transport among others.
In governance, President Kufuor abolished criminal libel law under the astute initiative and execution of H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (then Minister of Justice and Attorney General), submitted Ghana to African, created the ministry of women, and children affairs which lead to the increased inclusion of women in government, notably Ghana’s first female Chief Justice Georgina Wood.
He further lamented how unfortunately after all the works the tradition lost power to the NDC which saw the NPP out of the driving seat for 8 years, which he hammered, must not be allowed to happen again.
In a solemn manner, he recounted how the overwhelming endorsement from the people of Ghana, saw His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo won the 2016 election and once again giving the tradition power again. He indicated that under three years the party saw phenomenal use of this power in bringing development to the ordinary Ghanaian, and that “The delivery on the One District One Factory program. The construction of a One Village One Dam program. The One District One Warehouse program has taken shape.
The implementation of a Nation Builders Corps program to reduce the hardships on the graduate unemployed”.
Agyemang-Prempeh threw challenge to the charged audience, “what is indeed the essence of winning power, using power and not being able to keep the power? We must NOT lose power for the third time after such a splendid performance. He bemoaned that beholds on all of us as member of the party and TESCON members to work hard at holding on to power by delivering a second term and securing the elections from 2020, 2024, 2028 and beyond”.
He advised TESCON members to serve and be loyal to the party, and mentioned that TESCON has indeed groomed a lot of people including: Hon. Francis Assenso-Boakye, Deputy Chief Of Staff, Hon. Pius Enam Hadzide, Deputy Minister for Information, Hon. Abayifa Karbo, Deputy Minister of Roads amongst others.
The event was chaired by State Housing Ltd MD, Nana Appiah with Hon. Pius Enam Hadzide, Hon. Lydia Seyram Alhassan , Mr. Michael Okyere Baarfi, Chief Executive Officer of the Free Zones Authority, MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Hon. Esinam Offei Ansah, Mr. Nuhu Mahama (Former Deputy National Organizer) and Mr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah , Executive Director of KANDIFO INSTITUTE as special guest.
