A response from the Bank of Ghana governor, Dr. Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison, to participants of the OccupyBoG demonstration has incurred the wrath of some Members of the Minority in Parliament who have promised a retaliation in the manner they have been described.
The caucus says it will show the governor “what hooligans do”, as Dr. Addison described them in his response to the convenors.
The Minority was joined by the Arise Ghana group and other members of the public to protest the “mismanagement and incompetence” of governor Addison to resign with his two deputies after incurring a loss of GHC60.8 billion in the financial year 2022.
A negative equity of GHC55.1 billion was also incurred during the period in question.
In a response given through an interview with international business website, Central Banking, Dr. Addison described the protest as “completely unnecessary”, saying they had channels to channel their grievances rather than demonstrating as hooligans.
He says neither him nor his deputies would step down as being demanded by the group after saying the bank’s losses were due to the government’s domestic debt exchange programme and the high depreciation of the Cedi against the major trading currencies at the period in review.
“The Minority in parliament have many channels to channel their grievances in civilised societies, not through demonstrations in the streets as hooligans,” Addison added in reference to the #OccupyBoG protest.
In an interview on Accra-based Citi FM, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, indicated that Dr. Addison’s posture is a sign of arrogance and disrespect towards organisers of the protest.
He also described Dr. Addison as a frustrated governor who is incapable of managing affairs of the bank.
“He says we are hooligans, so we will show him what hooligans do,” Mahama Ayariga indicated.
“I, Mahama Ayariga, I am saying that he will see what hooligans do, I don’t know what my colleagues [Minority MPs] will think but when we meet we will discuss and let you know. But I’m sure that having called us hooligans, he will get a response of hooligans,” he added.
The Bawku Central MP also said that the Minority will meet with the leadership of the NDC to decide the next line of action to hold the governor accountable for his “incompetence”.
READ ALSO: Next NDC government will jail Ernest Addison – Sammy Gyamfi
