President of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Professor Eric Abavare, has stood by his controversial remarks in which he referred to President Akufo-Addo as a “joker” in the fight against illegal mining, or galamsey.
Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV, Prof. he criticised the President’s approach to addressing galamsey.
He argued that, the government’s efforts to combat illegal mining have been inadequate, and he had no regrets about his critique.
“My learned friend Enoch mentioned that I used a word to describe the president which made him uncomfortable. I want him to understand that I want my government to succeed because when my government succeeds, my country succeeds.
“That said, I stand by my description of the President as a ‘big joker.’ When we were in elementary school, we learned about rounding off—when a number is less than 5, you round it down to zero. So, if the environmental audit report from the Accountant-General indicates that we’ve reclaimed less than 1 percent of destroyed lands, in any examination, scoring below 50 percent means you’ve failed.
“So, if I were to assess the president’s performance on land reclamation, with less than 1 percent of the land restored, calling him a ‘joker’ is not out of place, is it?”
Source: Adomonline