Good Evening Ghana host, Paul Adom-Otchere, says former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo deserves lasting praise for his commitment to education and public service, arguing that “posterity will eventually mark him 10 over 10.”
Speaking on his show on Metro TV on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, Adom-Otchere commended the former president’s decision to introduce Free Senior High School (Free SHS), describing it as a rare example of a political leader choosing national good over political gain.
“If you have ten policies, at least four of them must do justice to people who can never pay you back,” he said.
“Akufo-Addo’s decision to take Ghana’s money in 2017 and pay school fees for children he doesn’t know, children whose parents he doesn’t know… that’s something nature will reward.”
He argued that while the policy may not have translated into votes for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), it remains one of the most selfless and far-reaching initiatives in Ghana’s recent history.
“He could have done Free SHS only in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions – his strongholds. But he didn’t. He built laboratories in the Volta Region where the NPP gets almost no votes. That tells you the kind of leader he is,” Adom-Otchere said.
According to him, many NPP members had questioned why Akufo-Addo would invest heavily in regions that traditionally vote for the opposition.
“One politician told me, ‘He educated people who won’t even vote for us.’ But that’s the point. Leadership is about fidelity to the earth to the people not to your political party,” he added.
Adom-Otchere went on to praise Akufo-Addo’s sharp memory and physical appearance at age 82, saying he looked remarkably strong and alert for his age.
“Do you know why at 82 he looks like that?” he asked on-air.
“Because he did good. He remembers everything. Things from 2001, even details from parliament. Nature has blessed him.”
He recalled that the former president, despite facing criticism and economic difficulties, often made decisions rooted in long-term national benefit rather than short-term political convenience.
“He said one of his biggest regrets was the debt exchange programme because it affected people’s savings. But leadership is hard. You sometimes face decisions you wish you didn’t have to take,” Adom-Otchere said.
The Metro TV broadcaster compared Akufo-Addo’s Free SHS initiative to past government programmes like the National Health Insurance Scheme under President Kufuor, noting that it stood out because Ghanaians could directly feel its impact.
“Apart from NHIS and Metro Mass Transit at the beginning, we’ve rarely seen a case where taxpayers could confidently say, ‘Our money was used for this.’ But with Free SHS, everyone saw it,” he said.
Adom-Otchere further indicated that while economic challenges during Akufo-Addo’s tenure were real, his long-term impact on education and nation-building will outweigh temporary hardships.
“As for hardship, when it comes, we all get angry. But eventually, posterity will judge him well,” he said.
“Mr. President [Akufo-Addo], thank you very much for your leadership. Congratulations on the way you look at 82. It’s a blessing,” he said.
Source: metrotvonline.com
