FLASHBACK: ‘Presidents have become victims of nepotism’ - Otumfuo

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in 2019 said that the raging issue of nepotism or “family and friends government” is caused by the political will to award those who aided in the campaigns of the Presidential candidates.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II stated that the current trend in the country's political space is making successive Presidents a victim of the system of nepotism.

"Our Presidents themselves have become victims of the system, entrapped in a prison from which they are obliged to dole out largesse to the army of supporters on pain of losing their loyalty,” Otumfuo reiterated.

Read the full story originally published on November, 25 2019, on Ghanaweb

The raging issue of nepotism in the governments of both political divides doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II wading into the discussion indicated that the “family and friends’ government” has stemmed from the rewarding of supporters who aided presidential candidates during their campaigns.

He explained that the phenomenon entraps them making Presidents victims of the system of nepotism.

Otumfuo was of the notion that heads of states of Ghana have over the years been ensnared in a position that compels them to return the favour by rewarding their supporters with government positions. Successive presidents have been tagged with appointing their family members into key government positions.

‘Our Presidents themselves have become victims of the system, entrapped in a prison from which they are obliged to dole out largesse to the army of supporters on pain of losing their loyalty,” Otumfuo added.

The National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi speaking at the party’s press conference earlier this month, presented 51 names of persons in office who they claimed are relatives of the sitting president, Nana Akufo-Addo. He describes the president as the "most nepotistic President in the world". The New Patriotic Party, however, discredited the claims stating that “family and friends’ government” originated from the NDC.

Addressing the audiences at the 3rd Annual University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) leadership lecture series in Accra, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II charged politicians to execute their duties to the nations and desist from amassing wealth while in office. He called for a change in the attitude of public service personnel.

“Men and women should not enter politics not because it will make them wealthy, but because it will make them worthy to serve their fellow man,” he advised.

President Akufo Addo while seeking power in 2016 assured Ghanaians that he was not going to operate a family and friends’ government. Contrary to this, however, the incumbent administration has been accused of filling key government positions with relatives of the president.

Asantehene further stated that “I have no doubt that any President will prefer to be liberated from this entanglement so they can devote all attention to the pursuit of the good of all.”

Otumfuo called for a drastic change in the attitude of politicians adding that their first obligation is to serve the people of the nation. He said, “politics should be the path to service and not the gravy train to personal wealth.”