This follows the resignation of former Deputy Minister for Agriculture, William Quaitoo, for what many have described as ethnocentric comments he made about farmers from the three regions of the North, in the heat of the fall armyworm invasion several weeks ago.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lAaQF6erTgj6rLc6B4bI7qxSnvXJgiOL”]The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, who announced the approval on the floor of parliament on Friday, said he was hopeful that the appointee will  help address the challenges at the Ministry.

He said he was expectant that the substantive minister, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, will support the appointee to serve to the best of his ability.

“I congratulate you on your appointment, and trust that you will meet the challenges of that ministry where we have Dr. Afriyie Akoto [as minister]. We expect that he will support you so that your era will be added to those very successful ones in the annals of Ghana’s history,” he said.

Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, however, advised the Deputy Minister to be mindful of his utterances while serving at the ministry.

“Your colleagues have reiterated; watch your tongue, the book of Proverbs is full of such admonishments. Speak less, work hard,” he said.

Mr. Nyarko, who is also the Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, was nominated by President Akufo-Addo in October 2017 to fill the vacant position.

Why did William Quaitoo resign?

Mr. Quaitoo’s exit from the Ministry was triggered by the following comments he made:

Our brothers [in northern Ghana], it is so difficult to deal with them. I lived there for 27 years, I speak Dagbani like a Dagomba and all that. They are very difficult people. Nobody can substantiate. If anybody says that his farm was destroyed by armyworm, the person would have to come and prove it. We have no records of that. It’s just a way of taking money from the government; that’s what they do all the time.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“That is an individual who decided to resign. What has that got to do with the government?” Mr. Pelpuo quizzed on The Big Issue.

“He [William Quaitoo] decided that he wanted to resign and he resigned and the government accepted his resignation. It has got nothing to do with an effort by the government, at least, on the face value.”

Mr. Quaitoo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, faced the scorn of the public, the National Democratic Congress Minority, and some civil society groups, for making ethnocentric comments, after saying northern farmers could not be trusted in their assessment of the damage from the army worm.

Mr. Quaitoo also said the calls on government for compensation by the northern farmers were simply a ploy to fleece the state.

The resignation was welcomed by the public but Mr. Pelpuo was adamant that the “government hasn’t done anything heroic.”

Under the Mahama Administration, he noted that the likes of the Transport Minister, Dzifa Attivor and Power Minister, Kwabena Donkor resigned for varying reasons.

Dzifa Attivor was embroiled in the SMARTTYS bus branding saga and Kwabena Donkor’s resignation was related to the country’s crippling power crisis.

Mr. Pelpuo further said the eventual course of events was the only way the government could have saved face.

“It would be more embarrassing for the government if the President said; ‘I don’t accept your resignation’ and then the Minister insisted that he resign. It would have been more embarrassing,” he said.

The presidency had indicated that William Quaitoo, resigned on his own volition.

On the question of possible sanctions for the former Deputy Minister, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin explained that the President was engaged in other activities in some regions hence could not take an immediate decision.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He said Mr. Quaitoo’s fate is a lesson to politicians to be mindful when making comments on national issues.

[contextly_sidebar id=”WXvezcv92XJyMamo6fImWNhlBYwgLyZt”]The Akim Oda MP tendered in his resignation on Thursday, following pressure from the Minority, and some civil society groups for making ethnocentric comments, which was triggered during a conversation on how government has dealt with the fall army worm invasion in the three regions of the North.

He stated that calls on government to pay compensation for farmers who lost their crops in the three regions of the north, were simply a ploy to fleece the state.

“Our brothers [in northern Ghana], it is so difficult to deal with them. I lived there for 27 years, I speak Dagbani like a Dagomba and all that. They are very difficult people. Nobody can substantiate. If anybody says that his farm was destroyed by armyworm, the person would have to come and prove it. We have no records of that. It’s just a way of taking money from the government; that’s what they do all the time,” he said.

Mr. Quaitoo subsequently apologized for his comments but many Ghanaians demanded that he resigns.

He thus resigned on Tuesday.

The Member of Parliament for Sangarigu, A. B. A. Fuseini, who also condemned the deputy minister’s comment, said the development must teach politicians to be measured in their speech, and demonstrate humility when engaging citizens.

“Those in public office should be minded by the need to be decorous, to be respectful in their utterances. As a public officer, anytime you are going to speak to people, you must show them respect and courtesy. You must eschew arrogance. Don’t think that you are going to talk down on people especially when you are talking about the sensibilities of an entire geographical region as the North, I think you should be extra careful about your utterances,” he said.

Deputy Agric Minister resigned voluntarily – Eugene Arhin

Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, has told Citi News the immediate past Deputy Agric Minister, William Quaitoo, resigned on his own volition.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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President Nana Akufo-Addo accepted his resignation from office this evening, according to the Presidency’s Director of Communications, Eugine Arhin.

Mr. Quaitoo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, had come under fire for saying, in an interview on Accra-based Star FM, that northern farmers could not be trusted in their assessment of damage from armyworms.

He further intimated that calls for government compensation for farm losses from the northern farmers were simply a ploy to fleece the state.

Our brothers [in northern Ghana], it is so difficult to deal with them. I lived there for 27 years, I speak Dagbani like a Dagomba and all that. They are very difficult people. Nobody can substantiate. If anybody says that his farm was destroyed by armyworm, the person would have to come and prove it. We have no records of that. It’s just a way of taking money from the government; that’s what they do all the time.

Mr. Quaitoo subsequently apologised for his comments in a statement, where he said he meant to imply that “some farmers can be difficult as it is with all regions.”

He also said he prided himself as a Dagomba, having lived in the Northern Region for 27 years, and assured that he would not “consciously spite them.”

Apology not accepted

But the apology would not be enough, with the Minority in Parliament calling for either his resignation or his immediate dismissal from the government for the disparaging comments.

The National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu, A. B. A Fuseini, for one, said he would not accept the apology as he felt the damage from the Mr. Quaitoo’s “repulsive” comments had already been done to millions of northerners.

“The people of the three northern regions have been grossly insulted… he has painted us a bunch of unreasonable people who cannot even understand and appreciate normal discourse then he goes on on the basis of that to say that we are untrustworthy people for perpetrating fraudulent activities, making false claims and stealing monies from state coffers,” Mr. Fuseini had said in a Citi News interview.

Criticism also came from within the Flagstaff House, with a presidential staffer, Clara Napaga Tia Sulemana, stating that a mere apology would not be enough.

Ms. Suleman, a Dagomba, described the comments as painful and chided him for making the governing New Patriotic Party look bad in northern Ghana.

“Dagombas are Northerners, Ghanaians and are humans as well, who also have blood running through our veins. We deserve far better from your likes. It’s indeed painful. Those sitting unconcerned and making it look like it’s a small issue we are blowing out of proportion, today it’s about the Dagombas, tomorrow it might be you,” she said in a Facebook post condemning his comments.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Deputy Agric Minister resigns over ethnocentric comments appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Comments like this, with ethnocentric undertones, make the New Patriotic Party look bad in northern Ghana, she added.

[contextly_sidebar id=”DJDRHa8USV5LnbnAIOAu5vnDOnxiwytN”]“A mere apology is not what we are demanding but more. It is tribalistic statements like these from the very few ones like you that makes life very difficult for the NPP in the north,” Ms. Sulemana said in a Facebook post.

The Deputy Minister came under fire for suggesting in an interview on Star FM that the northern farmers’ damage assessment from armyworms for possible compensation could not be trusted and that calls for support were simply a ploy to fleece the government.

The Minority in Parliament has also demanded the immediate dismissal of Mr. Quaitoo from the government over disparaging comments.

Mr. Quaitoo subsequently apologised for his comments in a statement and said he prided himself as a Dagomba, having lived in the Northern Region for 27 years and said he could not “consciously spite them.”

‘Northerners deserve far better’

But Sulemana said the Deputy Minister was biting the hand that fed him with his painful comments.

“My dear Hon, we being as hospitable as we are, took you in and feed you for 27 years (I am sure you would have done more years If you had the chance to) and today you are biting same fingers that fed you.”

“Dagombas are Northerners, Ghanaians and are humans as well, who also have blood running through our veins. We deserve far better from your likes. It’s indeed painful. Those sitting unconcerned and making it look like it’s a small issue we are blowing out of proportion, today it’s about the Dagombas, tomorrow it might be you,” she said.

Find below her full post below

So, here I am in bed, just struggling with myself to understand why on earth a deputy minister of state will look at the people who hosted him almost all his life(27 yrs) according to him, in the face and tell us we are difficult people and also that we lie to extort money from government. I am very sure this was said without any evidence.

My name is Napaga, a pure Dagomba royal (both parents). I was born, raised and educated in the northern part of Ghana with most of my education undertaken in Tamale.

I can say on authority that Dagomba are the most hospitable people I have encountered in my life. We might be coming from one of the poorest and most deprived areas in Ghana but that doesn’t mean we don’t have dignity or integrity. We are very “proud” people who respect ourselves and others so well irrespective of where you come from. We are one disciplined group of people who tread cautiously in our own space. You can confirm this from most southerners who have taken the Northern region as their homes.

We might not be rich as other regions but trust me, we are not hungry people. For several years, we have done mainly subsistent farming and have fed ourselves on it without much government intervention. Same subsistent farming has brought most educated Northerners where we find ourselves today. Therefore I find it very difficult that someone wakes up one morning and decide to label all of us liars and difficult people. Kaman how!!

Dagombas just like other tribes and humans surely will have some bad nuts but not a basis to label us all as difficult and liars. We might appear to be one defenseless, small, distorted poor tribe but we can be very loud if you want to take us for a ride. We surely will ‘fight ‘back if you disrespect us.

My dear Hon, we being as hospitable as we are, took you in and feed you for 27 years( I am sure you would have done more years If you had the chance to) and today you are biting same fingers that fed you. How interesting!

A mere apology is not what we are demanding but more .It is tribalistic statements like these from the very few  ones like you that makes life very difficult for the NPP in the north. Dagombas are Northerners, Ghanaians and are humans as well, who also have blood running through our veins. We deserve far better from your likes. It’s indeed painful. Those sitting unconcerned and making it look like it’s a small issue we are blowing out of proportion, today it’s about the Dagombas, tomorrow it might be you. When your neighbors house is on fire and you sit unconcerned, remember you might be next . We are one people and one

A Dagomba Girl feeling pained.

Napaga Tia Sulemana

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In a Citi News interview, the National Democratic Congress MP said: “I want to assure you that the Minority will go to every length to make sure that we take legal, legitimate and appropriate measures to redeem our image.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”0iWnbjNpvN5nK3m7ONhznU5rDFoZ28Tj”]”He has already put these damaging things in the public domain and many people are going to go away with the impression that we from the three northern regions are a bunch of fraudulent people and thieves so we have to take every legitimate step to redeem that image.”

The Deputy Minister, in an interview on Star FM, suggested farmers in the northern part of the Ghana could not be trusted in their assessment of the destruction brought on by armyworms and that calls for compensation were simply a ploy to fleece the government.

NPP members also upset

Mr. Fuseini further noted that some northerners within the governing New Patriotic Party are also upset with Mr. Quaitoo’s comments.

“Even in the governing party [New Patriotic Party], I have spoken to some of our colleagues who are extremely upset and very angry about that statement… decent members within their ranks, who are northerners, will feel a sense of revulsion about what they are doing now.”

“Every single northerner with dignity will not stand and allow this statement to go without an answer,” the Sagnarigu MP added.

Quaitoo must resign or be sacked

The only thing that will satisfy Mr. Fuseini and the NDC Minority is either the resignation of Mr. Quaitoo from his portfolio or President Akufo-Addo taking the decision to axe the minister.

“We are demanding that he should, immediately, on his own volition resign as a minister and quit from parliament failing which the President must sack him to show his revulsion against such ethnocentric tribal bigotry,” He also stated in the Citi News interview.

This is despite Mr. Quaitoo releasing a statement apologising for his comments. Mr. Quaitoo, in his apology, said he meant to say “some farmers can be difficult.”

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Umaru Sanda Amadu/Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“We are demanding that he should, immediately, on his own volition resign as a minister and quit from Parliament, failing which the President must sack him to show his revulsion against such ethnocentric tribal bigotry,” the Sagnarigu Member of Parliament, A. B. A Fuseini stated in a Citi News interview.

Mr. Quaitoo has since apologized after suggesting farmers in the northern part of the country could not be trusted on claims about the destruction wreaked by the Fall Armyworm on their farms.

He intimated that the complaints and calls for compensation were simply a ploy to fleece the government of some money.

But in his apology, the Deputy Minister said he meant to say “some farmers can be difficult as it is with all regions” and that the losses by farmers will be needed to be verified before the government could act on their complaints.

A livid Mr. Fuseini said he would not accept the apology as he feels the damage from the minister’s “repulsive” comments has already been done to millions of people.

“The people of the three northern regions have been grossly insulted… he has painted us a bunch of unreasonable people who cannot even understand and appreciate normal discourse then he goes on on the basis of that to say that we are untrustworthy people for perpetrating fraudulent activities, making false claims and stealing monies from state coffers.”

He said this was especially painful because the farmers only complaint “is that their farms have been devastated by fall armyworms and that government, which has a duty to help them must look at their face.”

But their pleas culminated in “a collective insult of the entire region,” Mr. Fuseini lamented.

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By: Umaru Sanda Amadu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“Your life is in your own hands, your destiny is in your own hands,” he said.

The President made these remarks at the launch of an autobiography by legal practitioner; Ibrahim Mahama called ‘Destiny of a Horse Boy’.

According to him, the book is indicative that individuals can only succeed when they persevere.

He stressed that success does not come on a silver platter saying, “you have to fight to take the destiny that God has given you because if you sit back and think that it will be brought to you on a silver platter, it won’t happen.”

President Mahama observed that many young people in Ghana today “are very laid back and hoping that somebody will call them and put their destinies in their hands.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”Oi7qcDa4GH5J99DTS6GPVVzHssZr78eo”]According to him, such attitudes will not bring about personal development and fulfillment.

The President remarked that it is essential for the youth to “fight and establish” their destinies adding that young people should recognize that “you can make life what you want it to be.”

Ibrahim Mahama served in the National Liberation Council government until 1968.

He was a onetime Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale for three years and later became the presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Front in Ghana’s 1979 elections.

He is a member of the royal family of the Dagbon Kingdom and became the solicitor and legal advisor to King Ta-Na Yakubu II and served him until 2002.

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan

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