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Former Member of Parliament for Nantong Constituency in the Northern Region, Murtala Ibrahim Mohammed says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government under the watch of former President John Dramani Mahama demonstrated visionary leadership.

According to him, Mahama's administration strengthened the Cedi by reducing importation of rice into the country and therefore is asking what has become of such a directive within two years of Akufo-Addo’s administration as importation of rice has gone up, contributing to the pressure on the Cedi.

“In this country, the NDC government under President Mahama demonstrated what we call visionary leadership. Let’s ask ourselves the things NDC did under former President Mahama, what has happened to those things? And how come that within a period of two years we are where we are,” he claimed.

Speaking on Radio Gold’s 'Alhaji and Alhaji' talk show as a discussant, Murtala Mohammed said former President Mahama realising Ghana is spending so much money in the importation of rice into the country decided to boost local rice with financial assistance and eventually reduced the importation of foreign rice.

He stressed that in order to meet rice consumption needs of Ghanaians as the country does not produce enough, local rice production was boosted under former President Mahama to the extent that in 2014 importation of rice into the country was reduced by 40 percent while production of local rice increased by 60 percent.

He was however emphatic that on 7th January 2017, during the swearing-in of the Akufo-Addo government into office, the nation was spending close to 500 million dollars in the importation of rice but within two years, over 1 billion dollars is being spent on importation of rice.

“The very day this super-incompetent and super-corrupt government was being sworn-in, we were spending close to 500 million dollars in the importation of foreign rice in this country; within two years, we are spending over 1 billion dollars in the importation of rice into Ghana. What has happened?” he asked.

He disclosed that the Trade Ministry he served as a Deputy Minister put in place measures in conjunction with other Ministries, Customs and the Ministry of Finance to reduce the importation of foreign rice into the country; asserting that Akufo-Addo government has discarded the measures they put in place.

“Where are those measures and I am asking this super-incompetent government these questions?” he quizzed.

“What has happened to Aveyime rice production? This government indeed abandoned it; the other initiative, a lot of those who came, foreign rice producers who came and engaged in it, a lot of them are folding arms and they are doing so because the taxes are just unacceptable,” he pontificated.

Murtala Mohammed alleged that Akufo-Addo's government has allowed people who financed his party in opposition to bring in rice into the country at cheaper cost at the expense of the local rice industry.

He insisted the local rice industries will find it difficult to compete as these firms produce at higher cost and therefore prices of what they produce may be higher than rice that are brought in by these importers from cheap and big farms, enjoying economics of scale.