Minister Grabs 3 Houses

The Northern Region Minister, Stephen Sumani Nayina, is said to have availed himself of the new opportunities at his disposal, allegedly purchasing three estate houses within 10 months of assuming office. The allegation has provoked questions and tongue-wagging even within local National Democratic Congress (NDC) circles in Tamale, DAILY GUIDE has reliably learnt.

Considered a bully of a sort, Mr Nayina has been nicknamed, “Adaklu Lion” by his party colleagues, out of disdain for his un-comradely manner of interacting with subordinates.

According to the information, the minister has as well taken a new wife whomhe took to the altar. It is claimed he had a baby with the lady before the Mills-bestowed appointment, consummating a relationship which was anything but a marital one.

This brings to three, the number of his wives, a standard marital status for well-to-do persons, particularly in the north.

Considering his immediate modest past lifestyle, a peeved Tamale resident expressed worry that the top politician may be abusing his office to amass wealth in such a hurry.

He asked rhetorically: “Why won’t people be modest about their lifestyles to obviate probing questions from the now curious members of the public?”

DAILY GUIDE called the minister several times on his cell phone for verification, since the allegations are coming from his community, but he failed to take the calls, several times over.

Not even a text message to his cell number elicited a response, especially having given him a clue about why DAILY GUIDE wanted to talk to him. After a while, he switched off the phone entirely.

DAILY GUIDE turned to his Special Assistant, a certain Shayibu Ziblim, who too was not amused about talking to us on behalf of his boss.

Even though officially, President Atta Mills has outlawed the position of special assistants, most of his appointees are keeping a legion of assistants in the name aides.

The minister’s relationship with many NDC persons, especially the notorious Sofo Azorka, has turned frosty as matters recently got to a head with the fierce Azorka threatening to deal with the regional boss even if it meant he, Azorka, will be sent to jail.

Speaking on a local radio station in Tamale, Azorka, the fierce NDC supporter, said the Regional Minister invested little or nothing in the party during its campaign period.

The Minister’s NDC colleagues grumbled recently about the manner in which he managed the award of contracts, charging him for allowing some of these opportunities to go to non-party persons.

Other charges against him include alleged impropriety in the management of funds earmarked for the Chereponi by-election recently.

In another development, Adaklu Lion as the Regional Minister is called informally, has allegedly gone after the Chereponi Police Station Officer, an Inspector Joseph Koranteng.

The frustrated Inspector, feeling unsafe, asked for a transfer to flee from the claws of the Adaklu Lion. The Regional Police Commander is said to have authorized the transfer, to the chagrin of the Minister.

The Minister and the Commander were at each other’s throats on a local radio station recently on a wide range of disagreements.

This is not the first time the minister is locking horns with a police commander having had a brush with DCOP Ofosu Gyeabour-Mensah in the early days of his assuming office in the Northern Region.