CPP will abandon drilling oil if... — Nduom

THE flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, has stated that a CPP-led government would abandon the drilling of oil if it realises that Ghanaians are not going to be the ultimate beneficiaries.
“If the drilling of oil and gas will not benefit Ghanaians, it should remain in the ground. We should not let what has befallen our gold mining towns to happen in our oil industry,” he said.
Dr Nduom was addressing a cross-section of the party’s youth at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum as part of activities marking the 59th anniversary of the formation of the CPP.
He described as a shameful act, the level of environmental degradation, neglect and poverty in mining communities where gold had been mined for centuries.
He said it was high time the nation prepared strategically to derive maximum benefit from the oil discovery, by imitating what Dr Nkrumah did when he established a gold refinery to ensure that Ghana could refine its gold.
Dr Nduom said under his administration, Ghana would establish a petrol-chemical industry in the Western Region to process the crude into other products to generate enough foreign exchange and jobs for Ghanaians.
He appealed to all CPP members, who for various reasons joined other political parties, to take advantage of the anniversary celebration to “come back home and help build a formidable and winnable party that would form the next government.”
Dr Nduom reiterated his pledge that when given the mantle as the president of Ghana in 2009, district and metropolitan chief executives would be voted to engender efficiency and accountability in the administration of the various assemblies.
“If Ghanaians are smart enough to vote for a president and Members of Parliament (MPs), why shouldn’t we allow them to exercise such franchise by electing such people? This will also give real meaning to giving power to the people”, Dr Nduom stated.
He expressed his readiness to separate the office of the Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice to allow for the speedy and ready prosecution of offenders, especially government officials.
He said his administration would strengthen Parliament and amend the law to bar MPs from becoming ministers as a way of positioning Parliament to play its role as serving as an effective check on the executive.