[ 2017-02-21 ]

President Akufo-Addo

Mahama's last SONA vs Akufo-Addo's first SONA
At the last State of the Nation Address (SONA),
President John Mahama took the nation on a tour of
his achievements under four-year tenure.

At the first SONA, President Akufo-Addo, sources
say, will take the nation on another tour - which
will be the reality of Ghana's economy before he
ends with his signature theme of hope.

President John Mahama pointed out in his last
address in Parliament in January, " I will allow
history to be the judge of how I have served our
nation, how well I have done my part in running my
lap of the relay".

For the NPP government, this judge may have come
early, as sections of the Ghanaian public tune
their ears to what some say is the 'true state of
the nation address'.

He will start of with the 'real state of the
macro-economy', Member of Parliament for
Ofoase/Ayirebi Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told Joy FM.

Although President Akufo-Addo's government is yet
to table a budget, there is pressure on the
government to table a clear and detailed plan on
how it intends to fund its free SHS campaign
promise.

President Akufo-Addo announced it will provide
free SHS this September. But a huge disagreement
over funding source means, the issue may need
further and better particulars, some of which is
expected to be revealed in the SONA 2017.

Government spokespersons have said the difference
in this year's SONA is that it will not be a
sector-by-sector account of the state of the
nation.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah summed up the style pf today's
SONA. He said it will "connect the dots between
where we are and where we are going as a nation".

He said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show, the speech
will be 'light on form', it will cut out
'theatrics' but it will be 'deep on substance'.

The NPP MP said the speech will not just be a
lamentation of the past failures of the previous
government but will see the government take the
bull by the horns.

Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Dr.
Mark Assibey-Yeboah contributing to the
predictions into the direction of the speech, said
it will touch on jobs - a key theme of the 2016
campaign.

Quotables and Highlights of Mahama's last SONA

A word count analysis of the speech gives an idea
of what the president may have wanted to
emphasise.

Health = 19

Water = 17

Projects = 16

Education = 14

Road =14

Power = 11

Economy =6

Corruption = 2

Quotes of the last SONA presented by former
president John Mahama "Every President inherits
the unfinished work of his predecessor. Every
president benefits from the seeds planted by his
predecessor, seeds that could not be sown during
his predecessor’s tenure."

"Mr. Speaker, I first entered this house as MP for
Bole Bamboi in January 1997. It was, perhaps not
coincidentally, the same year that Nana Addo
Dankwa Akufo-Addo entered as MP for Akyem Abuakwa.
Taking breaks from the business of the house to
grab something to eat at the snack bar, Nana Addo
always stood at the end of the counter, his
signature white handkerchief tucked into his
sleeve.

“Johnny” he would shout in greeting as he
preferred to call me. Incidentally we both served
three terms in this house, departing together in
January 2009." "This is how long I have known the
president-elect and worked with him. I have the
utmost respect for him."

"We cannot afford as a nation to wish or hope for
the failure of any president and his or her
government. Ensuring accountability is not the
same as leveling insults or encouraging apathy."

"Partisanship for its own sake, in the end, is no
better than dictatorship. If we look around the
world, we can so clearly see the deep divide that
blind partisanship is creating in nations with
democracies far older than ours."

"Already, [partisanship] has taken a toll on our
morale and our sense of optimism. It has given way
to a cynicism that is as dangerous to the incoming
political party as it was to ours."

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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