Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Former Deputy Minister of Education
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has served noticed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Mr George Ayisi-Boateng, for his comment that his priority as a government representative in that country is members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) before any other Ghanaian.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng, in an interview with TESCON members at the Kumasi Technical University over the weekend indicated that since he is representing the NPP government, NPP members are his priority.
Mr Ayisi-Boateng said: “This government is doing its best to create job opportunities, and me for instance, I told my people over there [that] it is because of NPP that I’m here so the NPP man is my priority. I told them when NDC was in power, it was Kwesi Ahwoi who was there, now we are in power, so Ayisi-Boateng is here with you. My topmost priority is the problems of an NPP person before any other Ghanaian, take it or leave it…
“Indeed, I’m not boasting but I’ve started meeting the NPP groups. Every weekend, I meet some group members and I tell you if I had my way, every job opportunity that will come will go to a TESCON member before any other person. And I know my colleague appointees also have the same feeling except that, because of IMF, we cannot do anything now…”
Reacting to this statement on 505 on Class91.3FM on Monday, 30 October, 2017 Mr Ablakwa described the statement as “reprehensible, unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest of terms”.
He averred that Mr Ayisi-Boateng should remember that he has been appointed as High Commissioner representing Ghana and not as an NPP’s High Commissioner.
“That is not the attitude you take to public office where you are paid by the tax payer…so we are calling on His Excellency, the President, to as a matter of urgency, recall the High Commissioner with immediate effect, and he must be given the sack because he doesn’t have the temperament, he doesn’t have the qualities to represent all of us in South Africa,” Mr Ablakwa stated.