Former Chief of Defense Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier-General (Rtd.) Joseph Nunoo-Mensah has cautioned the Akufo-Addo government against neglecting the needs of the angry Ghanaian youth.
He said government’s continued neglect of the basic social needs in the country is likely to compel a citizen who will rise and challenge it just like the late Rawlings did to Hilla Limann’s administration on December 31, 1981.
Speaking in an interview with the Accra-based JoyNews monitored by Modernghana News, on the issue of insecurity within the West African sub-region, the security expert added that people are hungry and, as such, would do anything to survive.
“There was a demonstration the other day (Arise Ghana). You don’t care, you don’t mind them. Another Rawlings is going to get up and cause a big mess, bigger than Rawlings’ mess. If people are hungry…I get calls…people are hungry…This is not a small issue,” he said citing the Arise Ghana demonstration as an example.
According to the former Chief of Defence Staff, the situation can only be prevented when government puts a stop to the luxurious lifestyle in the face of economic struggles.
“They can’t get enough of local food – kenkey – to eat and we are siphoning their money and buying expensive [cars]. There will be more Land Cruisers in Accra than you will find in Tokyo. Are we crazy or what’s wrong with us? When you behave like that you will get a reaction from the youth… It is because of anger. The anger shouldn’t arise but we are causing it,” he fumes.
