Rousing reception for minister

The coming back of Eric Opoku, immediate-past Ashanti Regional Minister to his home region, the Brong Ahafo Region, on Tuesday, was greeted with pump and pageantry.

Hundreds of government officials, party functionaries and supporters from both the Ashanti and the Brong Ahafo regions converged on the Bechem Junction, where the two regions share a boundary to welcome the new Brong Ahafo Regional Minister.

The main Sunyani-Kumasi highway became impassable for sometime due to the heavy vehicular and human traffic caused by the event.

Mr. Opoku, who is fondly referred to as King Solomon by National Democratic Congress (NDC) faithful, has been re-assigned to the Brong Ahafo Region, while the current Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, moves back to the Western Region, his home region.

He returned to his home region with a heavy entourage of government officials and party gurus, including a sizeable number of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Ashanti Region such as Kojo Bonsu, Kumasi Mayor and Yamoah Ponkoh, MCE for Ejisu-Juaben.

Samuel Yaw Edusei, Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister; Yaw Obimpeh, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NDC as well as top officials of the party accompanied Mr. Opoku to Sunyani.

Later at a ceremony with Nananom at the Sunyani Traditional Council, the Omanhene of Sunyani Traditional Area, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, welcomed Mr. Opoku back into the region and asked him to bring the vast experience he gained in the Ashanti Region to bear on the region.

Nana Bosoma called for support for the new Minister to enable him to succeed, while commending the out-going Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo for working hard to sustain the peace of region.

Addressing the chiefs, Mr. Opoku thanked God for a successful one-year stay in the Ashanti Region.

According to him, he received the maximum support from all stakeholders in his administration and expressed his heartfelt appreciation to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene as well as the leadership of both the NDC and the NPP for their show of support and maturity during his stay in the region.

He promised to work peacefully with all persons in the region just as he did in the Ashanti Region to ensure the rapid development of the Brong Ahafo Region.

Mr. Opoku, who praised his predecessor for his hard work, promised to build on the gains made so far and appealed to the people in the region to come together for the development of the region regardless of their political affiliations.

The Ashanti entourage showered many gifts on him as Mr. Obimpeh presented pure gold to the new Brong Ahafo Regional Minister.