Copied from Eric Essel MEMO TO NANA ADDO DANKWAH AKUFO- ADDO! Dear Nana Akufo-Addo, I am writing you this letter as a concerned Ghanaian who admires your courage and resilient and had always wish you well. Perhaps I am not the right person to share any concerns about your health, but as someone who thinks that despite everything that has been written and said about your person, you are one great lawyer who have served this country meritoriously as a legislature and having worked in the Executive as a minister. About two weeks ago, news of your ill health made rounds in the media and that compelled one of your aides to issue a statement stating your intended travel to the United Kingdom for medical attention and to attend to other matters., Thank God, you are back in the country looking hale and hearty. Nana, I don’t know who advised you to quickly address your party supporters at the Headquarters a day after you landed in this country. I know you are a wise man, and will not easily forget about what happened to our Late President, John Evans Atta Mills. We learn from history so we don’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past, unfortunately Nana you are treading on the same road President Mills traversed until his timely death. The refusal to inform the people truthfully and accurately, about the health of a leader is one of the tell-tale signs of disrespect for the people of a country. This was done by President Mills’s adminstration, and whoever spoke about the ill-health of the President was insulted and called all sorts of names. It took nature to settle the issue with finality! A democratic society by its nature is an open society, which strives on mutual trust between the leadership, whether opposition leaders or leaders in power (chosen by means of transparent, free and fair elections). As a friend said, it is not a crime for the president to be indisposed, and by telling us the truth, they will get the whole nation praying for him! Our elders have a saying that, anybody who sells his sickness gets cure for it. We live in a country where the health of our leaders is a myth. Their health is treated as if the moment somebody hears of it, they will die. We have lost leaders, who still had a lot to offer this country, but because of this unnecessary secrecy we are only left to mourn them when they die. After the demise of President Mills, followed by the former Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama and quite recently, Mustapha Ali Idris, the former Northern Regional Minister under the erstwhile ex- President John Agyekum Kufuor’s regime. The publicity stunt that you are engaged in is not going to help you in the long run. It did not work for President Mills and certainly will not work for you. Nana, you trust the New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters and Ghanaians enough to be able to tell us exactly what is wrong with you. I was so disturbed when I saw you on television, I could tell you are not the Nana Addo I know five years or even a year ago. It is natural to lose shape and fall sick as age is catching up on you, and even considering the fact that you have twice failed to lead this country. The useless case you have sent to the Supreme Court challenging the legitimacy of President John Dramani Mahama, coupled with the inept and inefficiency legal team led by Philip Addisson is enough to give you a heart attack. Even if you do not think Ghanaians deserve to know, for the sake of your family, don’t allow those hungry dogs around you to keep taking advantage of you. Remember those who were expected to cream off the juicy opportunities of a President Mills’s presidency, could not be bothered about consequences of lying about his health. Whenever issues were raised about these fears, they quickly retreat into metaphysics about life being in the hands of God. He (President Mills) was himself compelled to disparagingly respond to a harmless question posed by a concerned Journalist in 2011 at the meet the Senior Editors Forum at the Castle. We are going down that road again; the road where President Mills was made to jog on the tarmac of the Airport to show Ghanaians that he was fit. It is not a crime to be sick, Nana you don’t have to prove anything to anybody, as far as your health is concerned. Ghanaians need you alive, it is the presence and the contributions of people like you that still give the youth hope, that there is better days ahead. I end this my letter to you, with an open letter Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States of America wrote in 1994 to the American people, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. My Fellow Americans, I have recently been told that I am one of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Upon learning this news , Nancy and I had to decide whether as private citizens we would keep this a private matter or whether we would make this news known in a public way. In the past, Nancy suffered from breast cancer and I had cancer surgeries. We found through our open disclosures we were able to raise public awareness. We were happy that as a result many more people underwent testing. They were treated in early stages and able to return to normal, healthy lives. So now we feel it is important to share it with you. In opening our hearts, we hope this might promote greater awareness of this condition. Perhaps it will encourage a clear understanding of the individuals and families who are affected by it. At the moment, I feel just fine. I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done. I will continue to share life’s journey with my beloved Nancy and my family, I plan to enjoy the great outdoors and stay in touch with my friends and supporters. Unfortunately, as Alzheimer’s disease progresses, the family often bears the heavy burden. I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience. When the time comes, I am confident that with your help she will face it with faith and courage. In closing, let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve you as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that maybe, I will leave the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you. Sincerely, Ronald Reagan. I hope Nana Addo will learn from this and do the right thing. This is someone who was not in power but felt the urge to write to the American people telling them about his ailment.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 08:51:35 +0000