President Akufo-Addo and the NIA must bow their heads in shame as Eastern Records 19 Cases of Covid-19 – ADAM-GH

The Executive Secretary of Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM-GH), Azubila Salam Emmanuel has asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the National Identification Authority (NIA) and the Electoral Commission (EC) to bow their heads in shame because it was obvious they were fighting all out to make sure the NIA registration in the Eastern Region continues.

According to Mr. Azubila, the Attorney General’s Department challenged the interlocutory injunction placed on NIA registration and argued that Ghana card was going to be a requirement for acquiring new voters ID card and therefore, the court should allow the NIA to continue their registration and observe social distancing.

But for the loud resistance from the general public, civil society groups and other good citizens who vowed to stop the NIA and the E.C from going ahead with their registration exercise especially in the Eastern Region, the situation would have worsened in the region.

It will interest you to know that, as at the time NIA was busy registering people in the Eastern Region this Indian expatriate of Afcon construction company was in the Region and already had contacts with most of his workers who are Ghanaians and were therefore taking part in the Ghana card registration exercise to get their cards.

The Covid-19 cases in the Eastern Region have risen sharply from this Indian expatriate contact tracing as more than a dozen of new cases have been recorded through this manager of Afcon construction company.

As we speak, Manya Krobo Municipal Health Director, Bismark Sarkodie said 20 new cases has been recorded in the Eastern Region. It’s still unclear why the president in his 6th addressed to the nation did not add the 20 new cases to the number.

The 20 new cases had been confirmed and more results were still expected from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.

However, the deputy Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Antobre Boateng said 15 cases had been confirmed.

All these cases are from 244 persons who were quarantined at the Afcon Construction Company in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality through contact tracing of an Indian expatriate working on the Akosombo to Tema railway project who tested positive for the virus in March.

The Eastern Regional Health Directorate on April 9, 2020, announced that it had submitted a total of 373 samples of suspected coronavirus cases in the region to the Noguchi Memorial Institute, awaiting results.

The questions ADAM-GH is asking is that:
1. Hadn’t been the collective public resistance against the registration of Ghana card in the Eastern Region what could have been the situation of this covid 19 cases in Ghana by now especially in the Eastern Region?
2. Were all these 373 suspected covid 19 cases and those confirmed cases going to take part in the registration of the Ghana card in the Eastern Region?
3. Is this not clear that NIA , E.C and Nana Addo Government were only interested in the December 2020 elections and not necessarily care about the welfare of Ghanaians?
4. Why Nana Addo government so desperately interested in power in the do or die affair?
5. What was the rationale for Government through Attorney General Department challenged the interlocutory injunction that was placed on the NIA by the two good citizens, to extend that government bulldozed his ways through to quash the injunction placed on NIA but have to withdraw due to public anger?
I am not surprised this government channeled all covid 19 relief items including food to his party members to share based on those having party cards.

It’s very unfortunate situation because the president lockdown is not directed to only NPP members but entire Ghanaians and therefore, there should not be any selectivity in the food sharing on partisan bases.

ADAM-GH is advising Nana Addo Government to concentrate on the fight against the spread of Corona virus and stop taking political advantage in these hard times in the country’s history.

Azubila Salam Emmanuel
Executive secretary ADAM-GH.
Mob. Contact: 0544418072