Since last week the big news in Ghana has been the signing of a deal with the United States of America to set up a military base in the country for $20 million. Ghanaians have reacted by expressing their disappointment all over social media and taking to the streets to demonstrate against the deal which many see as being tantamount to selling our sovereignty for peanuts. The minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been at the forefront of massive criticisms against the deal signed by the NPP government led by H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo.
Last week the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho made some inflammatory statements claiming the signing of the pact with the USA was likely to lead to a civil coup d’etat, a statement for which he was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service and was charged with treason but later released on the President’s birthday as a supposed sign of his goodwill. There have been demonstrations to protest against the deal and the general consensus amongst Ghanaians is that we are better off without the US infiltrating our land in the name of the military base.
The NPP, of course, feels the minority NDC’s concerns about the deal are much ado about nothing, and the US ambassador to Ghana has stated that the world will not come to an end just because Ghanaians have permitted the US to situate a military base on their soil and that Ghanaians are over-reacting. In all these, the President himself has been conspicuously silent on the matter, preferring to busy himself in renaming the Seat of Government from Flagstaff House to Jubilee House.
NDC’s Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah, Member of Parliament for North Tongu in an open letter urged to President to come out and speak to Ghanaians on why he thinks the deal is in the best interest of the nation. “Respectfully, Mr. President, you can, therefore, understand why most of us are extremely surprised at your sudden belief in silence. Your silence on the agreement issue is very much out of character, and we are sincerely befuddled. Everybody is saying this is not the man we have known [since time immemorial],” Mr. Ablakwa said.
He also dared the President to renegotiate the terms of the deal in order to allay the concerns of the majority of Ghanaians.  “It is for this reason, Mr. President, that a higher obligation is imposed on you to engage Ghanaians and take steps to renegotiate with the Americans those articles in the Agreement that the overwhelming majority of Ghanaians are affronted by, and compromises their sacred sovereignty.”
Whether as a result of this prompt by Ablakwah or the President feels the time is now right for him to speak on the matter, he is scheduled to address the Nation today Thursday, 5^th April at 8 pm on all major television networks. This was announced in a post on his official Facebook page.
Whatever he says, the deal has been signed. But maybe he will give us concrete reasons why the deal is necessary and beneficial to Ghanaians so that our aunties in the village will stop thinking the only thing that will result from the deal is the US soldiers impregnating our young ladies and running away.