Media personality Afia Pokua, widely known as Vim Lady, has launched a scathing critique of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), blaming the party for the collapse of Ghana Airways and the sale of state-owned factories.
Reacting to a question posed by former Ghana Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr. Tony Aidoo, during the National Economic Dialogue, Pokua accused the NDC under former President Jerry John Rawlings of being the “biggest culprit” in the mismanagement and destruction of key state enterprises.
“Why is Tony Aidoo asking us this? When it comes to this issue, the biggest culprit was the NDC under President Rawlings,” she fired.
She pointed out that Ghana Airways was valued at $100 million when the NDC took office but was eventually run into the ground.
“When the NDC took power, Ghana Airways was worth $100 million. What happened? Tony Aidoo should be telling us. They destroyed it,” she alleged.
Pokua also blamed the Rawlings-led NDC government for the sale of factories established under Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, noting that their divestiture policy led to job losses and economic setbacks.
“KSM was asking the other time why we sold all our factories, and they were turned into churches,” she noted. “Ask the NDC under President Rawlings why they set up the Divestiture Implementation Committee and sold off Nkrumah’s factories. What due diligence did they do before such actions? Now there are no jobs for the youth.”
Taking her argument further, she referenced the labeling of Dr. Zanetor Rawlings, the daughter of the late former President, as the child of a murderer, stating that the NDC could not complain about such accusations when Rawlings himself was responsible for the execution of several military leaders.
“Yet when they labelled Zanetor as the daughter of a murderer, they were crying. Even though Zanetor is not responsible for her father’s actions, it’s not a lie that Rawlings killed people,” she stated.
Highlighting the legacy of former military ruler Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, she praised his policies, particularly “Operation Feed Yourself,” as initiatives that contributed positively to the country’s development.
“Look at what Acheampong did; he implemented Operation Feed Yourself, he founded Dansoman estates, and he tried to make Ghana a better place,” she remarked. “Even Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah stated that when Acheampong was shot, not even coins were found in his pockets.”
Pokua’s comments come amid renewed discussions on Ghana’s economic past and the fate of state enterprises, following Dr. Aidoo’s inquiry into why Ethiopian Airlines, which started in the same year as Ghana Airways, has flourished while Ghana’s national airline has collapsed.
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