President Mahama wades into Ocloo's 'transfer to north as punishment' comment

President John Dramani Mahama has clarified comments made by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, regarding sanctions for officials who approve developments on waterways.

According to him, such officials will be dismissed rather than transferred to serve as deterrent to others.

'We have transferred people to the north as a form of punishment' - Minister

Speaking at a Town Hall meeting with Ghanaians in the diaspora on May 31st, 2026, about the recurring flooding situation in parts of the country, Mahama said authorities must hold accountable those who issue permits for buildings in areas prone to flooding.

He explained that some residents often blame the government for floods without considering how structures have been allowed to obstruct waterways.

“...is flooded with water and he says why isn't government doing anything about the flooding problem? It's because you went and built in a place you shouldn't have built and so we need to punish those who signed the permits for that.

“The District Chief Executives, I told the Minister of Local Government we should find out who are signing the permits for people to build in these waterways,” he said.

The President stressed that transferring such officials would not be enough punishment and said they would instead lose their jobs.

“My minister misspoke. She said we'll transfer them to the North. We are not transferring them to the North, we're sacking them so that it serves as a deterrent otherwise we'll continue to have this problem,” he stated.

Mahama also defended the demolition of structures obstructing waterways, saying such actions are necessary to protect lives and property.

“We must have the hard hats to remove those houses that are blocking the waterways and so if you see demolitions going on and other things, it's to protect the property of everybody,” he added.

The comments follow remarks by Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo during a demolition exercise on May 5, 2026. She had warned that officials of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council who issue permits for illegal structures could face sanctions, including transfers.

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“If you issue a permit to an illegal structure, knowing very well that the place is illegal, you will also face the law…some of them have been transferred to the north, just to serve as a kind of punishment for them, so that when they realize that what they did was wrong, they are brought back to Accra or other places,” Ocloo had said.

“I don’t know which ministers you are referring to that they are blowing time [on weekends]. The ministers I know are working very hard. I’ve seen occasionally maybe on their birthday they bring a cake to the office and then for a few minutes everybody cuts the cake and they go… pic.twitter.com/8gRXfMFAmS

— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) May 31, 2026