Street hawkers at Kaukudi Roundabout, towards Kanda and Hilla Liman Highway yesterday took over what was supposed to be a campaign activity to be led by the youth wing of the governing NPP.
The hawkers, who momentarily forgot about their wares, chased the NPP youth who were embarking on the party’s ‘Boot on Ground’ campaign for party paraphernalia, including t-shirts, stickers, flyers, banners and placards, to sell the achievement of the Akufo-Addo administration.
The ‘Boot on Ground’ campaign is a nationwide campaign initiated by the NPP youth wing under the leadership of Henry Nana Boakye.
For close to four hours, the hawkers interacted with passers-by, passengers and others about the achievement of the NPP government.
Speaking to the media, one Mary Sarfo, a hawker who sells matches, noted that beyond all the achievements of the Akufo-Addo government, the Free SHS is a ‘game-changer’, hence the support.
She said with less than one month into the general election, they cannot sit on the fence without doing their part to support the Akufo-Addo campaign.
“I cannot imagine the Free SHS being cancelled because I decided to sit on the fence. This should not happen,” she said.
One Kwadwo Anyinaku, a hawker who sells trousers, said “looking at how much I spend on my kids who are home now because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I keep wondering how the President is able to feed over 1.2 million of such kids nationwide. We cannot sacrifice Free SHS for anything.”
He added that, for him, if the NPP government had not done anything at all, the Free SHS alone should be reason enough for Ghanaians to give the government four more years to do more.
Gertrude Mettle, a plantain chips seller, also said she has two children who are benefitting from the Free SHS, adding that what President Akufo-Addo has done is unmatched.
“I am old already. It is not about what I need; it is about what is there for the future generation. I believe President Akufo-Addo came for our kids and the future generation. God bless him and, if it’s possible, Ghanaians should extend even his eight years to continue to work for the country. But if that will not be possible, then another NPP person must be voted after Akufo-Addo,” she said.
Shocking
Steve Amoako, a member of the NPP youth wing communication team, expressed shock at the turn of event.
“These are not people who have been coerced to say the things they are saying. They have whole heartedly decided to help the campaign. When you listen to some of these testimonies, you get convinced that the President’s policies are touching lives and clearly the people are ready to renew the President and the NPP’s mandate,” he said.
