It is arguably inevitable to stay on the safe bench as a politician. One may make statements against their opponents or unintentionally make a comment which may provoke some reaction.
There was a list of these in the year 2022. Some quite interesting ones.
As we wrap up the year, GhanaWeb has compiled a list of such remarks that have got Ghanaians talking;
I will not resign; it’s like abandoning my children – Ofori-Atta:
This year was not necessarily good for the finance minister considering the economic status of the country, taxes that have largely been protested, and the country’s debt situation.
There have been calls for his resignation time and again, mostly over mismanagement allegations but an announcement that the country was heading for an IMF bailout appeared to have courted even more calls for his head.
A number of Ghanaians; CSOs and individuals alike called for the finance minister to give up his position for another more capable individual who perhaps will be able to turn around the fortunes of the country.
In response to these calls, Ken Ofori-Atta disagreed. His arguments were that a resignation, particularly at a time like that will suggest that he is turning his back on Ghanaians. He further likened the situation to a father who was giving up on his children because of circumstances beyond his control.
“It is almost like telling a father to resign from his children because he is changed his mind. There are times that decisions have to be made for the survival of a country and therefore if circumstances such as COVID or the Ukraine war occur which are not typical, it does change the environment, and sensible people will change their minds,” Ofori-Atta said.
ken ofori atta: how can a father leave his children in hard times.
— BIIIG MVNNY (@mvnnyfrrevks) October 20, 2022
you think governance is a matter of father and child, you’re appointed by the power the people have to the president. nobody is your child, if you display incompetence, you must resign.
Telling me to resign is like telling a father to resign from his children because he changed his mind’.
— Quasi Abite (@abite222) July 16, 2022
- Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister at the NPP Delegates Conference.
Dis Ken Dude paaa, he figure sey, he be de father of de nation or something?
“In spite of our present difficulties which I know will be gone as soon as possible, I continue to be excited about the future prospects of the nation and I urge all Ghanaians to join hands in building the Ghana that we want, we can realize it if we all work at it,” he said.
This statement also got tongues wagging.
I'm not so sure if Aisha Huang was deported:
In September, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appeared to have stirred some talk with submissions during an interview with Stone City Radio in Ho during his tour of the Volta Region.
During the interactions, he made a statement about the case of the embattled Chinese galamsey ‘kingpin,’ Aisha Huang (En Huang).
Speaking in that interview, President Akufo-Addo said it is likely that the 'galamsey' queen may not have been deported, but rather fled the country in 2018.
"… I am not still sure whether she was, in fact, deported or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back or whatever. There still seems to be some uncertainty about it.
"Whichever way it is, she has become a sort of nickname for all that the 'galamsey' represents and also, unfortunately, for the involvement of Chinese nationals in this illicit trade," he said.
The statement came under a lot of public scrutiny because it was determined to have contradicted what some of his appointees had said on the same subject, to the effect that Aisha Huang had actually been deported from Ghana in 2018.
I ‘reluctantly’ agreed to extend the time to September 30 – Ursula Owusu:
The Minister of Communications and Digitization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has been urging Ghanaians to re-register their SIM cards to avoid disruption of services. After several warnings, the Minister extended the August 31 deadline to September 30.
While addressing the nation on measures taken against Ghanaians who are yet to register their SIM cards said she reluctantly agreed to extend the second deadline time to September 30 upon consultations.
"Upon consultation with stakeholders in the industry and in view of the challenges enumerated above, I have reluctantly accepted to extend the re-registration exercise to September 30, 2022,” she said.
Some Ghanaians criticised her for this comment. Among other things, they suggested that Ursula’s use of the word ‘hesitantly’ was quite unnecessary.
The part that bore me is “ I have reluctantly extended the date”. Is Ghana for Ursula Owusu cos eii
— MAMZE ???????? (@adjoahanson) July 31, 2022
Ursula Owusu stop talking like SHS Heard Mistress " I reluctantly agreed to extend the deadline " is arrogant talk who is she koraa #FixTheCountry
— THE HEAD OF THE TABLE (@anaba_emmanuel9) August 2, 2022
I agree with you patriot @BruceJojo! Vodafone was my first choice until they started giving me poor quality service and I had to switch to MTN. Reluctantly like Ursula Owusu...????????????
— Sumaila Seidu Saaka (@sssaaka) August 4, 2022