Parliament is set to listen to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta deliver government's budget for 2018. It is the second of the Akufo-Addo government.

And while the Minority has predicted gloom, the government is predicting growth. The opposition is predicting freezes in expenditure but Ghanaians would be looking out for freebies.

So today, will the opposition get the chance to gloat about the failures or will the government show up and boast about its successes.

Up in the public gallery, Ghanaians of all shades watch their MPs chit-chat and fraternise and basically monitor how tax-feed MPs carry themselves about in the House.

The Speaker is in. The Prayer is said. The MPs are going through the previous minutes. Odododiodoo NDC MP Nii Lante Vanderpuye rises to correct the spelling of his name. Some in the gallery chuckle at what they believe is a needless dwelling on nitty-gritties.

10:20am: Minority leader cosys up to Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Gloria Akufo. He wants a more prominent seat for her because she is the only minister recognised by the 1992 constitution.

Haruna is at his chivalrous best - or should we say, constitutional chivalrous best. Haters will say he is trying to get the minister into his corner before the Special Prosecutor begins a dreaded blitz of prosecution.

Parliament is actually debating the Justice minister's sitting position - call it strength of a woman.

Finance minister is up in his self-imposed white dress in stark contrast to the suit and ties all over the House.

Ken Ofori-Atta lives to the expectation of slipping in Bible quotes. He refers to Matthew 13 and gets heckled. This won't be the last.

President Akufo-Addo has inspired us to see the invisible to feel the intangible and achieve the impossible.

We have turned the economy round comment is met with incredulous shock at the exaggerated patting of government's back.

This only the second time a government has been able to keep to its fiscal targets in a decade, he says and hypes the restoration of the nurses and teacher trainee allowances plus the free SHS.

He calls the free SHS policy 'destiny-changing'. And hypes the National Digital Addressing System. The Minority screams ' 419'. Bawumia looks on perhaps repeating to himself ' they just don't read'.

Finance minister says government will invest heavily in its flagship policies - Planting for Food and Jobs, free SHS, One District One Factory.

He christens the budget ' Puting Ghana to work'. It is time to rise and build and quotes Nehmiah who built the broken walls of Jerusalem. 

Ken Ofori-Atta wants to quote his relative and doyen of Gold Coast politics, JB Danquah keeping to his admiration which will surely irk Nkrumahists.

The Minority heckles. The Majority listens.

He says 2016 recorded lowest growth performance in several years. 'We are not paying our taxes and we are helping others not to pay their taxes'

Accumulation of previous arrears remains a major challenge to meet fiscal targets. Arrears Clearance program has devoted 3.7bn cedis to pay debts in 2017.

He says this is the level of naked abuse under the Mahama government. But we have moved on. 

This is the first time since 2006 that Ghana has witnessed the year-on year reduction of Ghana's debts.

He lays out some macroeconomic targets: Inflation: 8%, Overall fiscal deficit - 3-5% and gross international reserves: Four months of imports.

He promises to chase tax evaders after recording unfulfilled goals in revenue collection. 

The Majority leader chews on his gum like a man under no pressure as the Finance minister runs through the budget numbers until there is near complete silence.

The silence in the House now is quite interesting. The MPs must be either bored at the numbers or attentive to the data-churning machine of Ken Ofori-Atta.

11:18am: The silence wasn't meant to last. A Jerry Rawlings entry lights up Parliament into cheers. Jerry Rawlings, always the show stopper. For a moment the Finance minister's report on Planting for Food and Jobs is ignored as Rawlings steals the show - for a minute.

Some $1.3bn has been raised to purchase 850,000 tonnes of cocoa beans.He says while other cocoa-producing countries reduced producer price as the commodity price tumbled on the international market, Ghana maintained its price.

Cocobod awarded an incredible amount of 5.1bn for roads when it had budgeted 1.2bn, leaving a huge deficit. Capitation Grant to schools has been increased by a 100%. The first ever increase since 2009. He taunts the so-called Social Democrats as NDC failed to increase capitation grants.

Ken Ofori-Atta says the Special Prosecutor's office will be catered for following the late passage of the bill yesterday. 'This is a significant move in the overwhelming national desire to fight corruption' he says.

'Time a soo, time asoo', the NPP MPs scream. The NDC MPs are quiet.

National Digital Addressing system will create 4000 jobs while the NEIP will help set up 550 new businesses each to employ at least 12 persons.

The Ministry of Special Initiatives will see to the rolling out of infrastructure works and one district, one factory. All 275 constituencies will receive 2m cedis each for the industrialisation program.

A number of major intervention to check corruption. The appointment of the first-ever Procurement minister, implementation of paperless system at Ports, the implementation of Smart Card by the DVLA. There is also ongoing methodical and thorough investigations into corruption allegations to secure convictions and prevent witch-hunting claims.

'The Office of the Special Prosecutor is getting ready to crack the whip', he says.

Mahamudu Bawmia has been nodding his head all along. Finance minister is struggling to mention the names of new roads to be built. The local names are not moving smoothly on his tongue. If the road construction is smoother than his pronunciations, we will be fine.

The NDC MPs chant that all the roads been mentioned are 'ongoing'. They get tired of saying 'ongoing' and the NPP MPs urge them to continue.

'Why are you tired' Akoto Osei taunts them.

Only 10% of graduates get jobs and it can take 10 years for some to find jobs. To address this, government has rolled out Nation Builders Corp program to focus on graduate unemployment.

They will help revenue moblisation at GRA and train graduates as teachers of science, engineering and mathematics, sanitation inspectors in a Clean Ghana program, train them in a Heal Ghana program, and others in Feed Ghana program and collect taxes.

The NBC will hire 100,000 unemployed graduates.

He also signals a close partnership with the over 30,000 faith-based organisation littered over the country. He wants cooperation in health delivery.

There is also an expected reduction in tariffs for consumers. But the MPs express disappointment that the government is now going to recommend this to PURC for their consideration.

So much for the hype of utility tariff reducations as the MPs shout 'shame'. If the recommendations are accepted, consumers will be expected to benefit by an average which he reads. Non-residential and residential areas  could get a13% drop and high voltage mining areas to enjoy 21%.

The NPP MPs are jubilant.

There will be Education Funds set up for private sector contributions to help brilliant but needy students.

He is rounding up and preparing to taunt the opposition, inspire hope to Ghanaians and praise the Akufo-Addo government.

The Minority get ready to heckle but the Majority back their man with thunderous 'yeah, yeahs'.

The Minority will not be outdone. They boo the Finance minister after claiming credit for the government on the seeming end to power crisis.

Ken Ofori-Atta is rehashing promises made and fulfilled - efficient port system, reduce rapid rate of borrowing, establishment of the NEIP, reduction in interest rates, improve Ghana's sovereign credit rating, enhance fiscal discipline, reduce taxes, introduce the National Digital Property Address System, introduce the Special Prosecutor.

Bawumia is nodding his head even harder.