President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that he is a father for all. He made the statement when he visited Mepe, a community in the Volta region which was affected by the floods from the Akosombo and Kpong dams spillage.
According to the President, he doesn’t perform his role as the first gentleman of the land based on who supports him or otherwise.
After taking the oath of office, the President says he is required by law to serve all Ghanaians irrespective of their political affiliation.
He has indicated that, if the votes he receives from the Volta region was anything to go by, there is no way he would have stepped foot on their land to gather firsthand information on the plight of the flood victims and proffer solution.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) opened the Akosombo and Kpong dams to reduce the volumes of water that have reached their maximum levels due to the excessive rains in the northern part of the country flowing to the southern part of the country.
The spillage of the dams has submerged the homes of residents near the lower Volta Basin including their farmlands.
Speaking to some of the victims today, Monday, October 16, 2023, the President noted “when I took the oath of office as President, I took the oath of office as President of every single individual in Ghana. Of all peoples in Ghana, all districts and whether they voted for me or not, once I’ve taken the oath, I’m the President of all the people.”
“So, I want the people here beginning with you (Togbe) and your elders to understand that when something like this happens, and government acts, government is acting for all Ghanaians. I came here because Ghanaians are having difficulties and are suffering. And it is my responsibility to try and help because if it’s the question of counting who votes for me and who doesn’t vote for me, I shouldn’t be here because you don’t vote for me. But that is not my concern,” President Akufo-Addo told chiefs and residents of Mepe where he was giving an address.
Meanwhile, the President lauded authorities of the VRA for putting in measures to ensure a zero-casualty since the flooding began.
He assured the residents that he was going to return to see the progress of the work being done to protect them from such occurrences.
“The VRA has been making arrangement to protect the dam which is a national asset. So, these are all the reasons why I came here and I want you to know that this is not going to be my first and only visit, I’m coming back again. so that I can see for myself, the progress that is being made in dealing with this problem,” he assured.
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