The Member of Parliament for the Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, is asserting that the submissions made by President Akufo-Addo during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) were not entirely truthful.

According to him, the president merely used other information in place of the true state of the nation in his address.

Speaking on Newsfile, the legislator said, “The president engaged in a debt exchange programme with the truth when he addressed parliament. He simply just substituted the truth for alternative facts. He spoke about a tripling in national debts, but we had projects to show for those.”

“We have seen a times five —quintupling— where we’ve moved from GHȼ120 billion in national debt to almost GHȼ600 billion, that’s a 500% increase, and we can’t see the projects. In fact, what the president is actually doing right now is courteousness— coveting projects of other administrations— and claiming that they are his,” Sam George added.

This comes after the president, on March 8, addressed the nation before parliament on the state of the nation, focusing mostly on the economic problems the nation has been facing since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reaction of the populace to his address was one of mixed emotions, with some commending the president while others criticised him.

It is on the back of this that the Ningo-Prampram MP is also lampooning the president.

Sam George further explained that the president referenced accomplishments from 2020 rather than 2023 throughout his address.

He told the host, Samson Lardy Anyenini, “Let’s be clear in our minds, the president was very economical with the truth in his entire submission, and that’s why the president quoted figures from 2020, and not quote figures from 2023 even though he was presenting the 2023 State of the Nation Address.”

Although he eventually acknowledged that there was no fault in referencing those achievements, he stressed that it would have been appropriate for the president to have also painted an accurate picture of the state of as things pertain now to Ghanaians.

To emphasise his point, Mr George referenced the president’s highlighting in his speech that the prices of fuel decreased from GH¢20 to GH¢13 in 2022 and contended that that was no achievement that ought to be lauded.

He explained that “the question is, when [the National Democratic Congress] handed power over to you, a gallon of fuel, which is 4.5 litres was selling at 14 cedis.

“Now you [Akufo-Addo government] are selling a litre, less than 25% of what we gave you, —about 22% of what we gave to you at 14 cedis— for 13 cedis and you say we should praise you?” The legislator quizzed.