Minister’s plot to demolish assemblyman’s beer bar foiled by reshuffle

Reshuffled Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, has disclosed that he was seriously plotting to demolish a beer bar erected on a dam site by an assemblyman when his removal from office came all of a sudden to disrupt that plan.

He announced this on Friday when he handed over the administration of the region to his deputy, Frank Adongo Fuseini. His statement highlighted deep concerns among development watchers about the rise of wrongfully sited buildings, some dangerously blocking waterways, in several places in the region.

“They were saying that they should bring water from Tono to Bolgatanga, which I thought was very expensive. So, I was saying that they can make good use of the Vea Dam to supply water for Bolga and Bongo. Then, we would make a small place for farmers.

“And there is some young man who has gone to open a beer bar there. I wanted the soldiers to go and demolish it. Unfortunately, I’m leaving. He is an assembly member and he’s talking rubbish. It’s not good. He’s gone to do that, and he’s talking rubbish, in the dam there. He’s lucky Rockson Bukari is going. I wanted to send soldiers there,” said Mr. Bukari, now moving to the Jubilee House as Minister of State “in charge of Special Duties”.

It is not clear if the assemblyman, whose name the minister did not mention, knew about that plot before now. But it is assured, now that he knows, that he will gather friends and wellwishers at same bar hereafter and pop free champagne for them over a table of kebabs, with assorted music in the background, to celebrate a ‘timely reshuffle’ that saved his popular pub from the remorseless fork of a bulldozer... at least for now.

Minister to promote 3 Schoolchildren who invented Armyworm Solution

Mr. Bukari held separate meetings with the topmost security chiefs in the region, staff of the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and media practitioners hours before he handed over.

Whilst in a meeting with the press, his attention was drawn to an anti-armyworm chemical solution invented by 3 basic schoolchildren in the Nabdam District— an exploit Starr News reported last year. Determined to market the technological knack shown by the children at the Jubilee House, he told some senior staff at the RCC, “Go and look for those children for me”.

“I want to appeal to the press that positive reports about the region will help us. It would not discourage investors from coming to this region. But if you give negative reports, it won’t be good for us.

“When there are negative reports about this region, it would affect all of us. Let us also crosscheck on that one before you publish certain things. With your support, we’ve been able to achieve so much,” he observed.

He added: “I’m leaving the region. I’m going to be your ambassador. If you want my support, let me know. I’m now going to the powerhouse, where there is proper power, to fight corruption.”

GJA lauds Minister for Open-door Policy

Minutes before he received a handover dossier from the minister with a parting handshake in front of cameras, Mr. Fuseini, now acting as Upper East Regional Minister, said he would take off from where his “mentor” had left off.

“You’ve said this severally that you would continue to work hard for the advancement of this region. Don’t be tired of us giving you calls to be able to get fatherly advice from you because of your exposure. We are still in your hands. The RCC is still your home.

“I also want to pledge. You had a lot of programmes that you initiated. You were to initiate some again. But, according to the wisdom of the President, he said [you should] come up there and support him. So, we would also pledge to continue from where you have stopped. I know the media will also help us to succeed in our administration,” Mr. Fuseini remarked.

An executive member of the Upper East Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Samuel Akapule, described Mr. Bukari as a politician with an exceptional depth of commitment to an open-door policy at work. He asked the RCC to help the association with conducive office space to run its activities and a bus for coverage of events— twin pleas the fraternity had made times too many to count under past administrations.

Mr. Bukari, who gave a favourable reply on the requests, wrapped up the historic engagement with a sudden announcement that the overfull Bagre Dam in nearby Burkina Faso “has just been spilt” towards the Bawku West hometown of the acting Regional Minister, who doubles as the lawmaker for Zebilla.