My Senior Brother, Kwesi,
I just came across an 8 minutes and 31 seconds video clip on social media, which was about your contribution in studio discussions on Thursday February 13, 2025 on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana. In it you sounded principled in condemning the OSP for listing Ken Ofori-Atta as a wanted person and the raid on his house.
You perfectly expressed the need not to trample on the rights of people, even if they are guilty of offence. But you are yet to condemn the Preventive Detention Act (1959) and the False Report Act (1959) which immediately jailed, without trial, anyone accused of violating these laws, during the First Republic.
Anyway, Kwesi, what is of serious concern to me is the way you took out of context, my comments on ORAL and made Ghanaians who have not read my article, entitled “So, the Value Is the Same, After All (2)” which appeared in the Ghanaian Chronicle on Thursday, February 13, 2025, to believe I was condemning ORAL.
Your statement was as follows: “Now reading through the papers, and also listening to radio and watching television, I am very disturbed by something which is happening around ORAL. And this morning in the Chronicle is a very lengthy article, very, very lengthy article, authored by Hon. Daniel Dugan. And Hon Daniel Dugan actually creates the impression that ORAL is targeted at NPP members in the Akufo-Addo regime.
And I am worried by these allegations. It may well be true, that so far, all the material which ORAL gathered and which was handed over to the Attorney General, is about persons who served in the Akufo-Addo government. It may be true. And if that is true and anybody has evidence that NDC people too have engaged in these kinds of malfeasance, bring the evidence to ORAL and let ORAL refuse it. You understand what I am saying?
Yes, if NDC, there is no evidence that NDC people are involved such activities, or have committed such crimes or are suspected to have committed such crimes, how do you add them? It does not make sense to add NDC people for purpose of equalisation, okay? So those who make these allegations must know that there are some NDC people who have committed similar crimes or are suspected to have committed similar crimes and if they know they should bring the evidence and stop making these allegations. That is the only way the allegations can have substance. So that’s all”
Is that what the article fully talked about, Kwesi?For the third time, I have to respond to your comments generally made in the media landscape, using this Navajo adage, that, “the most difficult person to wake from sleep, is the one pretending to sleep.”
It is very obvious that you just pickedout of context, a portion I wrote about ORAL and decided to play mischief.This is not good journalism or reportage. Below areparts of my take in that publication.
“One issue that stains all governments of this republic in the issue of corruption. And so, Ghanaians were very glad when H.E. John Mahama introduced Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL).
Unfortunately, ORAL was centred only on the eight-year duration of the past NPP government, targeting its appointees and others who were perceived to be corrupt.”
And without doubt the ORAL dealt with appointees and OTHERS who were perceived to be corrupt during Nana Addo eight years in government. Go and read its 52-page document.
Going on, I stated that, “While, the president is expected to deal with the issues in the document to retrieve about $20 billion for the state, a publication came out, stating that, the Attorney-General had dropped court charges against over seventeen Ghanaians, who were being persecuted during the NPP regime. They included, Dr. Ato Forson, our current finance minister; Collins Dauda, Stephen Opuni and Johnson Asiamah, the new governor of Bank of Ghana.”Kwasi, are you aware of that and what are your comments? Here, I suggested some names.
Someone like Collins Dauda was in court to answer why a 5,000-housing unit project at Saglemi which was to cost $200 million, ended up with only 1,412 units built and $196.3 million spent. And only 615.7 acres of the available 2,172 acres was used. And you think ORAL should not take a look at this?
And again, why should ORAL turn a blind eye on Alfred Agbesi Woyome, who successfully stole millions from state coffers and he is walking free.
If you had been very principled enough and taken the trouble to read my lengthy article you would have come across this and made a fair analysis. I continued stating, “But why should the NDC quench the flames of such important cases which involved its members? During the Mills/Mahama era, Agbesi Woyome, a financier of the NDC, was accused of stealing GH¢51.2 million ($36.3 million) by claiming money from the state that he never worked for. This was a high-profile crime.
When the case made its way to court during the Mills/Mahama administration, the Attorney-General, dropped the criminal aspect and made it a civil case. Then down along the way, she dropped the charges, so that Woyome could walk free.
It was during the Nana Addo administration, that Woyome started repaying the loot, slowly. At my last check, he still has GH¢37.6 million ($26.6 million) to repay.” And you believe Woyome should not be noticed by ORAL and made to refund the loot?
I continued, “Now if the findings in the ORAL report are true, which indeed could be, for I have no prove to doubt them, it clearly showed that the Nana Addo administration, covered its appointees and others who looted the state of amounts of money that could make us never to visit the IMF.” Where is the proof that I was bias and against ORAL?
The questions I ask you are, 1). Did ORAL not only attack appointees under the Akufo-Addo regime, despite the overwhelming evidence of some NDC members who also engaged in malfeasance?2). Are you saying that all the NDC appointees in court during the Nana Addo’s administration could be said to be innocent of all charges against them? 3). What about your opinion on Woyome? Do you want to tell Ghanaians that Woyome did not steal from Ghana’s coffers? 4).
Still on Woyome, if as he claimed he worked for the state,to date he could not provide any evidence of having had any contract with government. So, what do you say about that? 5) What about Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, the MASLOC boss under the previous Mills/Mahama administration, who has been convicted and jailed in absentia for wilfully causing a loss of over GH¢90 million to the state of which she benefited? Are you suggesting ORAL should not recommend bringing her down to face justice?
Kwesi, if you had devoted quality time to read everything, I wrote in that lengthy, very, very lengthy article, you would not have said what you said on television.
In the first place I never created any impression that ORAL targeted only NPP appointees,its 52-page document did so. Unless you will disagree with me and Ghanaians that Woyome is innocent and no NDC appointee was rightly charged in court for acts of malfeasance. Unless you have very good reasons to support the use of almost $200 million to put up 1,412 housing units, instead of 5,000 units. If you so think this way and so desire to cover-up for accused persons, then you are a problem to this nation.
I presented a balanced submission by first supporting ORAL for its job, then drawing attention that NDC members who are known to have corrupted themselves havebeing left out. I named a few and so what evidence do you want me to produce? Why don’t you rather challenge the names I listed and prove that they were all innocent?
Kwesi Pratt, you have your unique style of advancing your perception on things. Some make sense, but other portray the propaganda agenda in you. That is why in the early 2000’s I commented on your take against President Kufuor in the Chronicles with the title, “The Most Difficult Person To Wake From Sleep Is The One Pretending To Sleep.” This highlights the difficulty of reaching someone who is deliberately avoiding a problem or a responsibility or a situation or an issue, making it harder to address the issue,as opposed to someone who is genuinely unaware or inactive.
I am sorry with no malice meant, this crown fits your head. Remember appearing on a talk-show one day and telling Ghanaians that Dr. J.B. Danquah was not anational executive member of UGCC but rather a regional chairman of that party? And those on set, nodded their heads in agreement.
Please, Bro Kwesi, next time you take my articles and wish to comment on what I write, do yourself a great favour by reading through at least three times and understand what I want to put across before you comment. It will do you a lot of good.Because every body knows I am fair and objective in my submissions. I criticize my NPP when I feel it is wrong and do same to the NDC and even the CPP under Nkrumah.
And please do send a rejoinder to the Chronicle if you need more clarifications.
Thanks, and have a good lent.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
