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Tag: Kwasi Kyei Darkwah

  • KKD ‘fires another shot’ at Akufo-Addo; calls him out over bad governance

    KKD ‘fires another shot’ at Akufo-Addo; calls him out over bad governance

    Renowned Ghanaian media personality Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, alias KKD, has expressed that President Nana Akufo-Addo has overseen a considerable amount of decay during his tenure as the leader in the Fourth Republic.

    He particularly emphasized that corruption has escalated within President Akufo-Addo‘s appointees, leading to a decrease in the feeling of national loyalty among Ghanaians. This trend could have adverse effects on the ethical foundation of the next generation.

    Discussing the deterioration in effective governance observed since Akufo-Addo assumed the presidency, KKD expressed his dismay at the absence of integrity within the Akufo-Addo leadership, even though he criticized Mahama’s administration for similar misconduct.

    “During John Mahama’s time, they said his government appointees were doing create, loot and share but under Akufo-Addo, they are doin g create, loot and keep,” he said in Akan.

    His comment comes after a former Minister for Sanitation, Abena Dapaah is being hounded by Ghanaians for stashing huge sums of dollars in his bedroom.

    The Ghanaian veteran broadcaster also expressed disappointment in the governance of President Akufo-Addo, and hastened that the time has come for Ghanaians to speak up against the bad policies and maladministration of the NPP government especially as the economy is crumbling.

    He indicated that prior to the 2016 eletions that resulted in the defeat of the John Mahama administration, Akufo-Addo made a lot of promises and spoke to the conscience of the electorates for their mandate to serve the country but has turned away from the promises.

    KKD who was speaking on Inside Politics hosted by Mugabe Maase on Power FM/TV XYZ referred to an interview Akufo-Addo, then opposition leader, granted Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM in the run up to the 2016 general elections where he narrated the Ghanaian challenges and proffered practicable solutions which he has failed to tackle in power.

    In that interview, the NPP flagbearer then maligned the Mahama administration and tagged him and his appointees as incompetent while pointing to unemployment and rising cost of living for the average Ghanaian as the reasons he was soliciting votes from Ghanaians to serve them.

    “Even now, things are hard and it looks like there are no leaders in the country,” he said in Akan while charging Ghanaians to try him. “Today as we speak, some Ghanaians have relocated to Ivory Coast to find jobs and this is because jobs are scarce in our country.”

    After watching the video clip which was aired on the programme, KKD said, “I don’t know whether our president at the time was speaking about how he had planned to govern us.”

    He said the issues Akufo-Addo raised are prevalent under his watch as the president of the country, adding “they were lies.”

    KKD said it is disgraceful that Akufo-Addo knows no shame and did not correct the wrongs of his predecessor but has plunged the country into severe hardship than he met the country when he was sworn in as a president.

    He mentioned the high cost of living, the lack of jobs for the youth, heightening corruption and impunity as well as creating wealth for a few family and friends in the NPP government as what Akufo-Addo kicked against when he was seeking the mandate of Ghanaians.

    To him, Akufo-Addo has failed woefully because he knew the challenges and solutions of the country but has failed to draft policies that will assuage the plights of the people.

  • KKD ranks Akufo-Addo-led government as worst

    KKD ranks Akufo-Addo-led government as worst

    President Akufo-Addo’s administration is allegedly the worst in Ghana’s history, according to veteran media personality, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, often known as KKD.

    According to him, Ghana is at the worst place ever under Akufo-Addo since its independence because all the economic indicators under his watch are at unprecedented levels.

    Speaking to the media on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, KKD added that the current government is also the worst when it comes to nepotism, favouritism and corruption.

    “Right now, our hope is in the IMF, I don’t know which ‘38-year-old boy’ is going to tell us what to do… my point is who leaves his house at Ridge and goes to somebody’s house at Kaneshie to say ‘Charlie things are not going well in my home, come and manage my home for me for the next 3 to 5 years’.

    “Who does that and still says we are brilliant? And even worse you get Gabby writing things like ‘the alternative is scary’. Dude, you are the worst… this is not about NPP, NDC, CPP, or whatever. This is the worst government we have ever had in this country. The worst ever! Look at all the metrics,” he said.

    The veteran journalist explained that the Akufo-Addo government is the worst because of corruption, bad decisions, nepotism and poor policies.

  • ‘How much money does Akufo-Addo owe you?’ – KKD asks Ofori-Atta

    Veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD), is wondering how much the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo owes his cousin, Ken Ofori-Atta, for which he cannot sack him from government.

    Speaking on Accra-based Joy News, the media personality claimed that the finance minister’s continuous stay in office could be due to the undisclosed debt.

    He stated that parliament in their quest to trigger a motion for a vote of censure on Ken Ofori-Atta, must also probe for any debt Akufo-Addo may be owing him.

    He noted that the finance minister’s performance in the current administration has been abysmal, therefore, he needs to be shown the exit.

    “Ken must go. Ken must go…How much money do you alone want to have? Why? Databank alone, how many of your staff are in government at the moment?

    “How much money does Nana Addo owe you? In fact, Parliament must ask this question … I think the President owes him.

    “Because if the President doesn’t owe him, what is it that is so beholding to this gentleman that with what he’s done with our economy, he is still allowed to be at post?” KKD asked in his interview.

    KKD’s concerns add to the consistent calls for the removal of the finance minister due to the current economic hardship the country is facing.

    These calls have become rife across both social and traditional media, with many accusing the Finance Minister of steering Ghana’s economy into a ditch.

    Members of the Minority have signed a motion for a vote of censure on Ken Ofori-Atta

    As part of their reasons, the minority cite the overall mismanagement of the economy and ethical concerns, among others.

    Parliament is yet to hear the motion with the Speaker having added it to this week’s order of business.

  • Akufo-Addo should have rather used ‘L’argent n’a pas d’odeur’ – KKD

    A veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD), has expressed disappointment in President Akufo-Addo’s use of the term, ‘l’argent n’aime pas du bruit,’ to wit, ‘money does not like noise,’ during his recent address to the nation.

    According to the broadcaster, being a man of language, if the president wanted to appeal to the emotions of Ghanaians, he should have rather used the French phrase, ‘l’argent n’a pas d’odeur,’ to wit, ‘money has no odour.’

    Speaking during an interview on JoyNews on Monday, October 31, 2022, and monitored by GhanaWeb, KKD explained that what President Akufo-Addo said is not factual.

    “All of culture is embedded in language, and when he said it, I felt heartbroken because that was the statement to the populace who are speculating about where we are going and how the cedi is performing badly. He thinks if you talk down the money, then the money would go down. No! that’s not true,” he said.

    He continued that if by the translation of what the president said in French, he meant that he has no problem with money, then he should have rather used a more appropriate one.

    “If you talk down Joy FM, Joy FM will not come tumbling down so long as they have success criteria and are working assiduously to ensure that the success criteria is in place.

    “You know, as a French scholar too, I think the better one he could have used is what is actually about his governance, which is ‘l’argent n’a pas d’odeur’: ‘sika nni panpan’, because if you look at in Kufuor’s regime, a man who was known to be corrupt, eventually was appointed by Nana Addo to become the head of the Public Procurement Authority, then it tells you that he has no problem with money, no matter the smell of it,” he said.

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and, particularly, the Minister of Finance, have come under a lot of recent pressure over the management of the economy, which has seen many indicators looking bad for the country.

    For example, the Ghana cedi has fallen by approximately 50% against the US dollar in the last ten months.

    This has been coupled with inflationary pressures which have seen Ghana record a rate of 37.2 percent in September 2022 – the highest in about 20 decades.

    The current economic challenges have culminated in job losses, worker agitations, rising costs of living, and general frustration among the populace.

     

     

  • ‘Ken must go’ – KKD calls for sack of ‘greedy’ finance minister

    Veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, popularly known as KKD, has called for the sacking of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.

    According to KKD, there is overwhelming evidence that points to the fact that there have been a lot of thieveries under his tenure.

    For this reason, the broadcaster has called for the axe to fall on the head of the country’s chief financial officer.

    Speaking in an interview on the JoyNews channel on Monday, October 31, 2022, and monitored by GhanaWeb, KKD explained that just like some 80 Members of Parliament calling for the minister to be sacked, it is the right decision.

    He explained that things have gotten so bad that even MPs who will usually tread cautiously in their dealings with the president no longer care how hard they step on his foot.

    “I saw someone who had used the brand of KFC, I don’t know why but about 22 people sent it to me… but if you think of it carefully, those MPs who stood up to speak have acted with courage; courage they got from their constituents. Because don’t forget this; because of the way our government is set up, nearly every MP whose government is in power, is angling for a ministerial position so they try as much as possible not to offend the president but I think they’ve gotten to a point where they think ‘even if this president gives me an appointment, I don’t want it’,” he said.

    KKD added that it is time for Ken Ofori-Atta to be sacked as the Minister of Finance.

    Likening him to an uncle who takes advantage of a very critical situation for his selfish interests, the veteran broadcaster asked that he is sacked.

    He also explained that the actions and performance of the finance minister have brought disgrace to his clan, a clear indication of his greed.

    “Ken must go! Ken must go because there has been too much thievery under him; thievery which we simply want to call, ‘Oh, it’s unethical’ but I’m telling if you live in a home where two children have sickle cell and one has (sic) and you have an uncle in the home that says things have gotten so bad, we need to go borrow money to perform a surgery for these children.

    “And that uncle then goes to see somebody from whom he can borrow money; all he needs is a $100 million, and the person from whom he’s borrowing money, will also ensure that he makes $9.8 million, Ghanaians, will you trust that uncle? That uncle is Ken Ofori-Atta.

    “You have embarrassed us, you have disgraced our fathers. Your father came to live a good life but you have disgraced us; you have disgraced the Akyem people and other tribes who have married into our clan because they include the Akyem, the Akuapem and the Nzema. You have disgraced us; you are greedy,” he said.

  • Akufo-Addo is in office but not in power – KKD

    Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD) has stated that he does not believe President Akufo-Addo is in control of things in Ghana.

    The veteran broadcaster explained that many indications point to the fact that while the president is in office, he does not wield any power.

    Speaking in a Monday, October 31, 2022, interview on Joy News and monitored by GhanaWeb, KKD stated that the fact that Members of Parliament on his side of parliament have openly expressed non-confidence in his chief financial officer, Ken Ofori-Atta, should tell he is failing.

    “If nobody remembers anything I say today, please remember this; yesterday, I listened to our president for about half an hour and I learnt for sure that he’s in office but not in power.

    “If the people who make laws; the ones on your team… are saying that no, you’re failing us but we can’t tell you directly that you’re failing us, so we’re going to put the blame on your finance minister for now, eventually, we will get to you, are you really in power?” he stated.

    KKD also explained that issues such as the president’s recent chattering of private jets, a situation where the country does not even have the money to buy such luxurious planes, make it even more profound that he is actually not in charge of things.

    “If you give a speech of 30 minutes and instead of telling us how ashamed you are that you let some of the people you appointed, who had no common sense to tell you, Emperor, you have no clothes, but made you sign, or have somebody you’ve authorized sign to go and rent a plane your nation cannot afford, and they came and give us the stupid justification that by that way, he can have a shower in the sky… how are you in power?” he quizzed.

    Among the things that KKD has proposed to the Akufo-Addo government is for him to sack all his deputy ministers and further reduce the number of his ministers.

  • No Ghanaian can be silenced; we’ll speak up – KKD to govt

    The morning show host, Captain Smart, an ardent critic of the government, was arrested on Wednesday evening, October 19, after the close of work.

    His arrest was because he recently tagged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as being actively involved in illegal mining due to his failure to call some of his officials to order.

    According to reports by his media organizers and some eyewitnesses, the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) formerly BNI, picked him up for questioning. He was, however, released hours after his arrest.

    Many termed the arrest as an attempt to silence him, others have posited that a culture of silence has resurrected under the leadership of Akufo-Addo.

    Broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, in a lengthy Instagram post, called out the government for attempting to silence persons who dare to expose the rot and corruption under the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    He urged citizens to speak up and not be discouraged by the attempts to silence them.

    He cited Captain Smart as an example of the government’s target.

    Read KKD’s statement below:

    Sometimes joyfully, other times painfully but if you claim you are in a democracy, let the people speak their minds, for without freedom of speech we will never hear the truth.

    No citizen of ???????? must be silenced.

    We may wish every person in power does only good and lawful things. Unfortunately, the reality isn’t so. The promises and practices are oft enemies.
    This is why the governed, especially the fourth estate, must speak truth to power to nudge leadership, and citizens, to do the right thing and call public attention to clear and present danger for urgent redress.

    No person can silence truth. You may try but you can never silence truth forever.

    Take all the praise you want whilst in power.

    Remember that praise will not show you the wrong you do to our nation nor your neighbour. Most praise-singers only humour you and lick your backside for their selfish ends. Listen to the good about you as well as the bad, and you will learn much to do better.

    To harrass, silence or harm those who tell you the truth, disagree with you, tell the truth about you or are just not impressed with you has never made anyone greater, more popular nor more powerful. It rather empowers and elevates the teller of truth whether they dispense it from a bottle of sugar or salt, refined or raw.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • The corrupt and the lying ones will kill you KKD reveals advice his father gave him

    Veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD) has stated that even though the outcome could result in his killing, his father has urged him to continue speak the truth against the government .

    KKD, who has criticized the administration in recent days over claims of nepotism, cronyism, conflicts of interest, and corruption stated that some people have called his elderly father to voice their displeasure with him regarding his criticisms of the government.

    “When they told me, I said to them that my son Kwasi Kyei is only a womaniser and women like him, but he is truthful. They are calling me from all over. Kwasi, what have you said?” KKD revealed his conversation with his father on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, edition of Joy News’ morning show.

    He asserted that his father requested videos of his statements from him after receiving such complaints in order to evaluate.

    “Please, if you would like for me to say a word of advice to my son, start by sending me the facts of the matter. So send me what he actually said. Don’t send me commentary because, in the Darkwah family, we don’t comment on commentary,” KKD recounted the words of his father.

    On how his father reacted to the reports and the complaints, KKD said his father warned him that his criticism against the government might lead to him being killed but urged him not to relent.

    “So they sent my father the video, and he looked at the video and said, ‘Kwasi, I’ve watched your video three times. Kwasi Kyei, my beloved son, they will kill you. The corrupt and the liars hate people who speak the truth; they will kill you. But what you said is the truth so continue,” KKD recalled the conversation with his father some four days ago.

    KKD has been accusing members of the current government of enriching themselves at the expense of the state and the citizens, among other things.

    He has taken on the minister for finance and one of his deputies, who he alleges have been embroiled in a conflict of interest.

    According to KKD, the minister and his deputy have their companies serving as financial and transaction advisers to the government, thus making gains even when the state borrows.

    He has noted that such a situation calls into question the finance minister’s motive whenever the country borrows money.