The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, has said 5.7 million people President Akufo-Addo claims have benefited from the Free SHS should have reflected in the 2024 polls.
He says the numbers the President is mentioning should have turned up to vote for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) if indeed his Free SHS truly impacted their lives.
According to him, the despite the figures being mentioned by the President, the realities on the grounds are different.
He believes although people might have benefited from the policy, they did not get the quality education they deserved. Mr. Vanderpuije says beneficiaries of the programme did not get text books to study and were also not fed with proper food, which did not give them any reason to come out to vote for the NPP.
Commenting on the fallout of Akufo-Addo’s final State of the Nation Address (SoNA) Friday, January 03, 2025, the former Accra Mayor stated there is nothing positive to comment about Akufo-Addo’s leadership.
“Now you’re giving the figures but the realities on the ground is different. The reality is that people have gone to school but they remember the days they were hungry in school, the days they had no text books to study but they had to endure and pass through. The reality is that he has fulfilled his 8 years but there is nothing in it to write home about,” he told JB in Parliament after the address.
He continued that the NDC will be a listening government and take cue from positive criticisms from the opposition unlike the NPP did, so they can work them out to become a better government for the people.
Mr. Vanderpuije stated that the NDC is aware of the implications of taking Ghanaians for granted and will not do anything untoward to incur their wrath at the polls.
“NDC know if we don’t do it well, we’ll suffer for it at the polling station so we’ll do it better. if our position bring something and it’s good, we’ll listen and become better so we won’t suffer like they suffered.
