AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT FROM A NURSE

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT FROM A NURSE

Hello Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,

I remember your words in 2007 when I was a boy in junior school and in 2016. In 2016, the nation was crying out for a saviour to rescue it from the economic hardship. The allegations you levelled against the previous administration got Ghanaians very angry. You were then seen as the saviour. In the euphoria of your ascendance to power, and in your maiden speech at the independence square, you said the era of hardship was over, and charged us to be citizens not spectators.

With such a beautifully choreographed speech you garnered popularity and raised the hope of many, and made hundreds of promises, many of which have found their way down the drain.

I remember as well that in the course of your campaign, you vowed to alleviate poverty, eliminate corruption, kill nepotism, create more jobs. Today, the main beneficiaries of the project Akufo-Addo are your family members, close associates, top party members, friends of your daughters, family members of the Veep and his friends. This brings up another serious issue; the huge sum of money you dish out in sacks and brown envelopes. The huge sum of money your appointees pay to their traditional leaders to be install chiefs and queens, the customised vehicles your appointees and party officials buy as gift to their girlfriends and wives. What is the source of these funds and how are they accounted for? You need not be reminded sir that allegations of crass corruption swing heavily around the neck of your administration like a hangman’s noose.

Mr President, I have taken the time to put down my worries so you can know what we ordinary Ghanaians think.
These and many other reasons are why many citizens continue to clamour for your removal from office during the next election. Indeed so much is your undoing that the constraint of space would not allow one to recite. If you are truly are a man of honour, one would have expected you to clear the air on the many allegations against your administration. I however do not suppose it too late to make amends. If you ask me, I would advise you bow out silently at this point. If you however chose to go on, the future will judge you.

I was part of the team that organised the nurses against John Mahama in 2016. We printed NDC T-Shirts from our meagre resources just to burn them in public. I moved some nurses to Osiem from my own resources to demonstrate against John Mahama when he visited the place in 2016. We printed third grade Npp posters from our meagre resources as part of our support for the change agenda. I am writing to you as a disappointed supporter. I am not disappointed because of the mess trainee nurses, qualified nurses, doctors and other health workers are going through, I am writing to you because of the general hardship Ghanaians are experiencing under your watch. Our reward for sacrificing our little resources and time to support your campaign is the insults we receive anytime we complain about the situation of the nurses. Why the Nation Builders Corps when your predecessor built many hospitals before his exit. There are many opportunities of employment in the government departments of Ghana. Though they are qualified, many poor Ghanaians who actually need them find it difficult to get them, due to malpractices in selection and appointments.

Mr President, we are calmly waiting for you to step on us as you descend. All people will work hard to get a better life for themselves and their family. Don’t make the exceptions rule the policies.

Hope we see a more harmonious and progressive society when the next government takes over

Thank you for your time

(Ernest Opoku Kyeretwie – A disappointed Nurse)