Former Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffour has said no amount of vilification would make him relent on his Ahotor project.
He says philanthropy is a virtue he has exuded for decades and nothing would make him back down on it.
His comments come on the back of criticisms he encountered from General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, for hiding behind his Ahotor project to break party protocols to make donations to party members himself.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia had said whatever donation any party member wants to make after coming to the leadership would be distributed accordingly, but not to be done by the persons involved personally.
“If Dr Duffour intends to make this donation to the party a genuine donation, he should be prepared to pass through the proper channels,” he said.
The NDC General Secretary said they have been written to that an NGO will manage the Ahotor Project, much to the party’s surprise. Without the approval of the party’s leadership, no such donations should be undertaken by party members.
“He has his equipment. Whatever he is doing with his euqipment, it cannot happen in the name of NDC,” he noted.
In his response, Dr. Duffour said nothing would distract him from doing.what he started decades ago.
“I just want to help people. I worked for four years without taking salary. Even my ex-gratia I gave it to you, Ghana. Is that my reward? What I want is to help strengthen the country, strengthen the party, and it’ll affect everybody. Let’s get together, let’s help one another.
“No amount of insults, attacks, will stop me from what I want to do for you. Nothing. Why did I give my salary to Ghana, four years without even taking a pesewa? People were insulting me at the time. My ex-gratia, I didn’t take it, they insulted me. Go to my town, Kumawu, I helped set a rural bank, I never took allowance for 30 years. Go there and find out. We are different people. I’m not doing all these things because of anything. I feel in me that I should help people and I help them. That’s all,” he explained.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline.com
