Everything was set for the confirmation exercise simultaneously with that of the West Mamprusi district.

Whereas as the West Mamprusi district assembly successfully confirmed the District Chief Executive nominee, Abu Mohammed, that of Bunkprugu/Yunyoo was postponed for unknown reasons.

The development created tension in the area with a group calling itself the Concerned Yunyoo NPP youth, accusing the Bunkprugu constituency Member of Parliament, Hon. Solomon Boar of Sabotaging the DCE nominee.

The group also accused the Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed of working against the President’s DCE nominee, John Kwaku Alhassan’s confirmation.
Below is a statement issued by the group’s Spokesperson, Mamoa Elijah and copiedcitifmonline.com.

Northern regional minister and his deputy must respect the president

We the concerned NPP youth of Yunyoo want to state unambiguously that the northern regional minister Salifu Saeed and his deputy Solomon Namliit Boar are working against the confirmation of the Bunkprugu/Yunyoo District chief executive nominee J.K Alhassan.

This is gross disrespect to the authority of the president of the republic of Ghana. We are having the facts that cannot be contradicted by anyone to suggest that the two party leaders are not those provoking the chiefs, opinion leaders, and assembly members against the said nominee’s confirmation.

We are therefore appealing to the two leaders to allow peace in the area to justify the basis on which they were appointed. Mr. Regional minister and your deputy; what will you lose if the president’s nominee is confirmed?

We must also indicate that the continuous resistance to the Bunkprugu/Yunyoo DCE’s confirmation could compromise the political harmony in the area. Why should a minister and his deputy vow never to allow John Kwaku Alhassan to become DCE because he is this or he is that? This development justified why Savelugu and other parts of the northern region witnessed opposition in the confirmation of their DCE.

We conclude by appealing to the president of the republic of Ghana Nana Addo Danqua Akufo Addo to expeditiously mete out disciplinary actions against the two. Mr. President; if there is noise in the Bunkprugu/Yunyoo disdtrict; blame Solomon Boar and Salifu Saeed.

Thank you.
Cc
Presidency
All media houses
…..signed….

Mamoa Elijah, spokesperson for concern NPP youth, Yunyoo constituency.

Solomon Boa’s rebuttal

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Bunkprugu constituency has dismissed the allegations, saying he has no problem with the DCE nominee.
He rather accused the NPP Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu of creating insecurity in the area.

According to Hon. Solomon Boar, Daniel Bugri Naabu skewed to change the government appointees list in favour of the DCE nominee, John Kwaku Alhassan.

He advised the DCE nominee to do his homework well and get the blessing of the assembly members.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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President Akufo- Addo’s nomination of Mr. Osafo-Maafo as Senior Minister, has been met with condemnations, with critics saying the it is a superfluous portfolio with no proper designation.

Speaking at the vetting of ministerial nominees underway at Parliament House, the Senior Minister nominee explained that, “the President in his own wisdom decided that he should be called Senior Minister of State.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”FNGG1VOHftl658BRpLTDG6lRAEMs28MM”]Osaafo Maafo made the comment while responding to Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga’s question on whether Nana Addo’s creation of the Senior Minister office was constitutional.

Supporting his argument with Article 78 (2) of the constitution, Mr. Maafo posited that, the President has the prerogative to appoint anyone to any portfolio he deems fit.

Article 78 (2) of the 1992 constitution states that “the President shall appoint such number of Ministers of State as may be necessary for the efficient running of the state. “

According to him, “there is only one Minister that is mentioned in the constitution of ours and that is the Attorney General. In other clauses, other Ministers have been mentioned ; Finance, Interior and Defence under the security because they are members of the Security Council.”

“The president told me specifically that we (NPP) have had a senior minister before in the person of J.H. Mensah, whom I worked with because at the time I was the minister of finance and he coordinated the economic sector ministries. All the productive sectors are referred to as economic sector, and they will be a major bloc as a subcommittee of parliament, and they coordinate the activities of the economic sectors of his cabinet, as it may be, and he wanted me to bring my experience as a [former] minister of finance, as somebody who has done a similar job in Uganda, as somebody who has done a similar job in Liberia, to bear on his government; so I’m playing a coordinated role for the economic sector as it were.”

He added that,“The economic sector relates to the other ministries, so, naturally my experience will be brought to bear on my colleagues to make sure that we resuscitate the economy in a much homogenized manner so that there will be harmony. From our manifesto, one of the major priorities of the president is to transform the economy because as you are aware, the economy is in some difficulty, we are in an IMF programme and we hope to come out with flying colours.”

The concerns raised by Mahama Ayariga were also contained in a letter he earlier wrote to Nana Akuffo –Addo a few days ahead of the vetting.

In that letter, the Bawku Central MP had argued that, Nana Addo breached the constitution by making that appointment because the “nomination of any person to be vetted for the post of a ‘Senior Minister’ constitutes a constitutional aberration”, adding that “nowhere in the Constitution does the office of ‘Senior Minister’ exist.”

But the Minister Nominee for Works and Housing,  and a legal practitioner, Samuel Atta Akyea, subsequently watered down his concerns, describing them as hollow and shallow.

President Akufo- Addo nominated the former Finance Minister under the erstwhile Kufuor administration as Senior Minister last week, pending parliamentary approval.

The Senior Minister concept was first introduced during the erstwhile NPP administration under John Kufuor.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post Osafo-Maafo justifies Senior Minister porfolio appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

I think that the energy, experience, exposure and dynamism that Isaac Asiamah has is the right mixture for us.

Hopefully, now we will have a new age in sports in Ghana especially in making the connection between the official sporting hierarchy and the schools which ought to be the sources of sports people.

That connection is what I believe Isaac Asiamah can make.”

The above are the words of H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo when he announced his nominee for the Youth & Sports Ministry.

The Sporting Public know Hon. Isaac Kwame Asiamah as the Member Of Parliament for Atwima Mponua constituency, Ashanti Region.

But there are some few things you need to know about the man put in charge of our sports.

1. He was born on the eve of Christmas 1975 at Tano Dumasi, Ashanti Region. He is married with three children. He graduated from University of Ghana, Legon with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Resource Development with Political Science in the year 2000. He has an Executive Masters in Governance and Leadership from GIMPA.
2. Hon. Asiamah entered the Parliament of Ghana at the young age of 29 in 2005. He is currently in his 3rd term in the law making body. Sports is not new to him having served on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture, and rising to become the Chairperson of the same committee.
3. His real impact was After the Brazil 2014 fiasco when he advocated for a bipartisan committee to investigate happenings in Brazil, but the government of the day opted for a commission of inquiry leading to the formation of the famous Justice Dzamefe Commission. His approach would have been more effective.
4. Somewhere last year, he labeled the Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the out-going Sports Minister as ignorant and incompetent in response to his comment tagging the Ghana Premier League as unattractive. He argued that a minister should help promote the various Sporting Disciplines under his ministry and if you are failing to do that, you shouldn’t destroy the brand with your mouth.
5. He called on then President John Mahama to sack Nii Lante Vanderpuye as the Minister of Youth and Sports.

As we welcome him to the Youth & Sports Ministry, we hope he will promote the various Sporting Disciplines the way he wanted his predecessor to do.

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By: Rahman Osman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 5 things to know about Sports Minister nominee Isaac Asiamah appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

President Nana Addo made the announcement while announcing the third batch of Ministers nominee at the Flagstaff House on Thursday.

This announcement follows a similar one on Tuesday and Wednesday, which saw persons including Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West constituency, Ursula Owusu, the National Women’s Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Otiko Afisa Djaba and Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey being appointed as Minister for Communications, Minister for Gender and Social Protection and Foreign Affairs Minister respectively.

In all, Nana Addo has announced the names of 36 persons for various ministries. He however explained that six of the nominees will serve as Ministers of State at the presidency.

Profile of Mustapha Hamid 

Mustapha Abdul-Hamid is 45 years old. He holds a Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies and a Master of Philosophy Degree, also in Religious Studies, all from the University of Cape Coast.

He is presently a Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Cape Coast, where he specializes in the areas of Islam & Gender and Political Thought in Islam.

Prior to taking up teaching, he worked in the media in various capacities as Editor of the High Street Journal, Editor of the Statesman newspaper, News Editor at the then Choice FM and Strategy 4 Planning Manager at Media Majique & Research Systems.

He has published widely in many prestigious academic journals around the world. In politics, he was National Youth Organiser of the NPP from 2002-2005. He has been Spokesperson for the President from 2007 to date. He is married with five children.

Below is the list released for Thursday:

1.Minister for Planning  – Prof. Gyan Baffour (MP for Wenchi)

2.Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts – Catherine Ablema Afeku (MP for Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Constituency)

3.Minister of Information – Mustapha Hamid

4.Minister for Special Development Initiative – Mavis Hawa Koomson (MP for Awutu Senya East)

5.Minister of Youth and Sports – Isaac Asiamah (MP for Atwima Mponua constituency)

6. Minister of Fisheries– Elizabeth Afoley Quaye (MP for Krowor)

7. Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs – Kofi Dzamesi

8. Minister of Aviation – Cecelia Dapaah

9. Minister of Inner cities and Zongo Development- Abubakar Boniface Siddique

10. Minister of Business Development- Awal Mohammed

11. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs – Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu (MP for Suame and Majority Leader)

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Mustapha Hamid is Information Minister nominee appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.