Manasseh Awuni: Will Akufo-Addo clear the sanitation minister?

President Akuffo Addo has been tagged as the clearing agent over the last 7 years because persons in government who have been found to have breached conflict of interest boundaries or have been alleged to be engaged in some form of corrupt practices have let set free and clear of any issues raised against them.

It is due to this and many similar instances that Manasseh Azure Awuni asked “Will Akufo-Addo clear the sanitation minister’s saga the same way Zoomlion clears rubbish?”

The President has been tagged as one who clears his appointees of wrongdoing.

Manasseh Azure Awuni’s question comes after the Sanitation Minister’s case in court which revealed a whopping US$1 million, €300,000, millions of Ghana cedis, as well as assorted clothes, handbags, perfumes, jewelry, Kente cloth, and men’s suits were stolen from her residence.

There are a few reasons why Ghanaians believe that President Akufo-Addo always clears his appointees of wrongdoing.

There have been a number of high-profile cases in which government officials have been accused of corruption, but have been cleared by the president. For example, in 2020, the president cleared the then-Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, of wrongdoing after he was accused of using his position to benefit his family’s businesses.
The president has also been criticized for his handling of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which was set up to investigate corruption. The office has been accused of being politicized and of being unable to effectively investigate corruption cases.
Some Ghanaians believe that the president is more interested in protecting his own party than in fighting corruption. They point to the fact that the president has not taken any significant action against any of his own party members who have been accused of corruption.

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As a result of these factors, many Ghanaians have come to believe that the president is not serious about fighting corruption. They have given him the nickname “the Clearing Agent” because they believe that he is more interested in clearing his appointees of wrongdoing than in holding them accountable.

It is important to note that these are just some of the reasons why Ghanaians believe that President Akufo-Addo always clears his appointees of wrongdoing. There are other factors that may also contribute to this perception, such as the president’s close relationship with some of his appointees who have been accused of corruption.

Ghanaians have reacted to the questions posed by Manasseh Azure. Many of those who reacted to the question believe the President will either do nothing or will follow his “clearing agent” approach and do nothing about the issue.

One of the comments left on the post on Twitter read “And what do you think he will do? He is going to tell us that investigations have found out that she is not found of keeping public money and such money could be accrued from the private business of the minister”

Another stated that he will bet on the clearing agent approach “Clearing agent my best bet”

And what do you think he will do?
He is going to tell us that investigations have found out that she is not found of keeping public money and such money could be accrued from private business of the minister 😅😅.
— E. A. Kunsaari@leadership (@eakunsaari) July 21, 2023

As the clearing agent in-chief, he won’t disappoint la. John Mahama is light years ahead of this Nana Addo and Bawumia government in all spheres. He sacked someone who entertained the thought of amassing wealth in his government but yaanum will look the other way.
— Blessed Assurance (@HBabanawo) July 21, 2023

If the cash reported as having been stolen from Cecilia Abena Dapaah’s house is true, then she should as well be picked up for investigation. A public official with that amount of cash in her house should explain how she came by it.