In Ghana’s political vocabulary, few phrases have become as infamous — or ironic — as the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) boastful declaration: “We have the men.”
But in a searing critique on 3FM, broadcaster Johnnie Hughes tore into the hollowness of that claim, using sarcasm and real-world economic figures to argue that the NPP’s supposed economic ‘men’ left Ghanaians with little more than hardship and broken promises.
“You didn’t have to brag that you have the men,” Hughes began, echoing the slogan that once fired up NPP campaign rallies and drew applause across the nation. But his tone made it clear — the slogan, once a symbol of confidence, now rings with the mockery of failed competence.
During their time in office, the NPP touted its economic management team as the most capable in Ghana’s history.
With technocrats at the helm, the public was told to expect fiscal discipline, growth, and a stable cedi. What unfolded instead was a sobering reality: skyrocketing inflation, unpopular taxes, and a local currency that collapsed to an all-time low of GH¢17 to $1 before the government exited.
“Within five months, you [the NDC] have brought the dollar down from 17 to 10 without gold-for-oil, without speeches, without spokespersons at every ministry,” Hughes pointed out, indirectly asking: what were the ‘men’ really doing?
Citing a Facebook post from an importer, he highlighted the sharp reduction in costs for importing goods due to the cedi’s recovery. That shift, Hughes argued, had occurred under quieter leadership, not one obsessed with public relations and grand economic theories.
The NPP’s “We have the men” mantra, in Hughes’ eyes, had morphed into a symbol of misplaced pride — a phrase that no longer inspires confidence, but serves as a painful
