The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), is urging President John Mahama not to swear-in Dr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah as Minister of Trade and Industry.
The group expressed shock “at the open display of arrogance, and great penchant for inconsistencies cum lies during the vetting of Ekow Spio-Garbrah in Ghana’s Parliament.”
The President’s appointment of Spio-Garbrah as the Minister of Trade and Industry was received with mixed reactions especially from some members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) following an article he [Spio-Garbrah], authored in 2006 describing the late President John Mills’ Ministers as ‘team B.’
[contextly_sidebar id=”BoyPjAMTnQRh4UxL7kKAsTBLEVIQZkMe”]He however explained before Parliament’s Appointment Committee that his article was misinterpreted.
Although the Appointment Committee subsequently approved him, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu on Thursday accused him of lying to the committee about issues pertaining to his secondary school education.
Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said investigations showed that Spio-Gabrah’s account that he entered secondary school at age 9 was untrue.
AFAG, in a press release copied to citifmonline.com, questioned the credibility of the Minister saying, “it is worrying that a person who lablelled, his soon to be colleagues; team B, could not justify the very reasons for labelling them so. Being “sorry” is not enough, the motive behind the call is one filled with hate, envy and the “pull him down” syndrome.”
“Mr President, would you want to include a person who has proven himself at the appointments committee level as a liar in your government? How would he relate with the majority of team B men in your administration? He lacks the moral judgment,” the release stated.
They also described the Minister as “block headed,” adding that he is a drawback to the government’s development agenda.
“Another worrying experience was the rapidity with which Spio-Gabrah concealed his block headedness at the primary level… Indeed Spio Garbrah fits in team D. He cannot achieve anything for traders. He may be imposing more hardships on Ghanaians because he is good with tariff imposition just as he did with the introduction of the residential facility user fees for tertiary students. He causes the mess,” the release added.
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana