#FixTheCountry: Why a young man travelled about 250km to deliver a message to Akufo-Addo
A ‘brother’ of Samuel Acquaye, aka ‘Pipilo’, the Dansoman-based young guy who thronged the #FixTheCountry protest with the notorious and emotional banner, had to travel over 240 kilometres to join the protest.
In Ghanasonline.com’s exclusive with Pipilo, his brother, Benjamin Odame-Yeboah who was with him said Ghana’s Constitution needs urgent attention considering the lapses it contains, and how porous it renders the state’s democracy at the detriment of the citizenry.
After travelling from the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi –about 250km — for the demonstration in Accra, Wednesday, August 4, 2021, he noted the nation’s leadership “have taken us for granted for far too long [and] play with our minds too much.”
Emphasising the need to change the constitution, he bemoaned the unemployment rate in the country, saying “we need jobs in the country. We need good jobs, we need to change our constitution because the current one is bogus.”
He added the appointing authority of the president prescribed by the Constitution compromises the integrity of some sensitive portfolios and must be reversed with the utmost urgency.
Read also: #FixTheCountry demo: Bearer of emotional placard explains rationale behind his words
“How can a president appoint EC chair and expects him/her to be fair in an election?”
“How can a president appoint an Auditor General for him/her to check him? There is no sense in this,” he added.
“We need a new constitution now! The appointing authority of the president is way too much and we can’t bear it anymore. Enough is enough,” the young man expressed.
The #FixTheCountry protest stemmed from a section of Ghanaians who are discontented with the economic conditions and how poor the constitution is structured to immune authorities from punishment, thereby looting state coffers and impoverishing the masses.
In the first quarter of 2021, the hikes in fuel prices and other tax components that hardened economic conditions warranted the call for government to fix things, with the #FixTheCountry, making strides on social media.
An initial date to picket was injuncted by the police until August 4 was approved.
Subsequent editions have been scheduled for the other regional capitals, with the Ashanti Region being the next according to the convenors.
Source: Ghanasonline.com
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