Though of modern blood, they have passion for oldies music that topped the charts in the 70s. On Tuesday’s Joy FM’s topsy-turvy, three young brainy politicians and a lawyer slugged it out in a bid to outdo each other with vestiges of songs from Ampofo Adjei, Nana Ampadu, Maxi Priest, Bob Marley etc.

Legal practitioner Egbert Faibille, Deputy Education Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, NPP National Youth Organiser Sammy Awuku and former Member of Parliament Kojo Adu Asare were united and in one accord doffed their hats to celebrate oldies music.

Sit-in-host of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Egbert Faibille kept himself, his guests and listeners entertained with his selection of old sounds.

Egbert’s choice of songs provoked Okudzeto Ablakwa to exhibit slight jealousy to the extent of comparing and contrasting Egbert’s age and taste in music.  

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

“I am a fan of old school. That was when Ghana produced scintillating, soothing music good for the soul, except that unlike you I don’t pretend I was alive when it was composed...this morning you are posing as an old man,” he told Egbert.

But Egbert debunked his perception outright and asserted, “I was alive”.

“Now you’ve seen that most of our songs we have westernized them, I am a fan of the old school as well. The likes of Amakye Dede, Ewura Ama Badu and all those people. It is good we get to hear some of these songs especially on a relaxed day,” Sammy Awuku chipped in.

Kojo Adu Asare capped it with a damning verdict: “To be honest we have lost out on those days where we had the guitar band music which could hold you consistently for two hours…the Thomas Frimpongs, the Yamoahs…good old days to be honest with you, these days people don’t sing…the musicians we have today, very few of them are really singing.”

DIVISION

However, when the show progressed and the politicians had to discuss issues, they were sharply divided.

Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa conceded that as a nation we had a “challenging year” in 2014 with difficulty in stabilizing the economy. Government still has a challenge in the energy sector, he acknowledged.

However “a lot was also achieved in 2014,” he claimed and asked Ghanaians to acknowledge some of these developments in the areas of transportation, water and other infrastructure.

He said the last time he checked, the national access to water ranges between 60 to 70 percent.

Sammy Awuku

But Sammy Awuku pooh-poohed on those achievements. He zeroed in on the much touted additional twenty million gallons of water being produced daily to supply communities such as Adenta which have not had pipe borne water for years.

Aside from a few areas in Adenta, most areas within the municipality are still without water supply. As a resident of the Adenta Municipal Assembly, he challenged the government to come clean on places the twenty million production is going.

“We are not enjoying the water”, he asserted.

Egbert stepped in as the host to find out if it is the usual politicking which is at play with one seeing the glass as half full and the other viewing it as half empty. But Awuku insisted that the taps would expose him if he plays politics with water, stressing “the glass is empty”.

Egbert Faibille

In his assessment, the NDC government has mismanaged almost everything, hence the challenges being faced by the country and he was certain the government would not take Ghanaians anywhere.

With world crude prices falling at a record rate, Sammy Awuku wants the automatic adjustment formula to work as he demands a drastic reduction in fuel prices.

Ablakwa to some extent agreed with him but raised issues with debt owed to the bulk oil distribution companies at the same time distancing government from fuel pricing. About 50% of the debt has been cleared though, he said.

Nonetheless, he hoped the National Petroleum Authority would, after a scheduled meeting today, announce a reduction in petroleum prices.

Kojo Adu Asare

This was backed by Kojo Adu Asare who early on made a strong case for the reasons why some people are not receiving water in some parts of Adenta.

As a former MP of the area, he said some unpatriotic persons have made it a habit to cut pipelines and divert water flowing to homes. Residents who are not getting water may have to check their lines, he suggested.