You can't boast of 'hen coop' yet on renaming spree – NDC tells 'Renaming-General' Akufo-Addo

The Navrongo Central Constituency of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has conferred the title “Renaming-General” on President Nana Akufo-Addo and accused of seeking self-glorification and self-aggrandisement by renaming so many things in the two-and-a-half years of his presidency.

In a statement signed by the NDC’s Constituency Secretary Dr Selanwiah Abdul-Mumin, the party said the President’s recent promise to rename the Navrongo Campus of the University of Development Studies after the late Clement Kubindiwo Tedam (C. K. Tedam), who was the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the NPP, is inappropriate, since, according to the NDC, “We state without equivocation that C. K. Tedam has done very little to merit such a national honour”.

The party said: “Aside [from] acting as a pawn for President Akufo-Addo in the internal power politics of the NPP which heralded his ascent to power, we contend that C. K. Tedam’s contributions at both the national front and in his local community are negligible to warrant such favour.

“In any case, what are the contributions of C. K. Tedam to the people of Paga where he hails from? What can his own people remember him for?”

Read the NDC’s full statement below

C.K. TEDAM HAS DONE LITTLE TO MERIT RENAMING UDS NAVRONGO CAMPUS AFTER HIM

Over the weekend, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) joined the people of Paga to lay to rest, Clement Kubindiwo Tedam (C.K. Tedam), a long-standing Chairman of Council of Elders of the NPP. On behalf of the NDC in the Navrongo Central Constituency, I extend our commiserations to the people of Paga and the entire NPP fraternity.

Our elders strongly admonish us against speaking ill of the dead. Therefore, the least expected of one at this moment is to wish the soul of C. K. Tedam a peaceful repose. However, at the funeral in Paga, President Akufo-Addo, in his usual manner, which has earned him the unenviable title of ‘King Promise’, once again promised to present a bill to the August house of Parliament for approval to rename the Navrongo Campus of the University for Development Studies after C.K. Tedam.

Ordinarily, we would have allowed this to pass as another of his numerous unredeemed promises. However, for a President who has spent nearly three years in office without building a single secondary school, let alone a university, it goes without saying that he should not be promising to rename existing public universities after NPP heroes.

At the said funeral, President Akufo-Addo is reported to have said that if approved by Parliament, the Navrongo campus of the UDS will be called C. K. Tedam University for Technology and Applied Sciences. The Change of name, according to President Akufo-Addo was necessitated by the late C.K Tedam’s strong leadership qualities, including his contributions which “…foiled attempts by internal elements to disunite the NPP”. For his efforts at building the New Patriotic Party therefore, the President contends that a whole public university should be named after him.

We state without equivocation that C. K. Tedam has done very little to merit such a national honour. Aside from acting as a pawn for President Akufo-Addo in the internal power politics of the NPP which heralded his ascent to power, we contend that C. K. Tedam’s contributions at both the national front and in his local community are negligible to warrant such favour. In any case, what are the contributions of C. K Tedam to the people of Paga where he hails from? What can his own people remember him for?

We wish to remind President Akufo-Addo that contrary to his NPP tradition which cannot boast of a hen coop, not to speak of a public university, the University for Development Studies was built with funds from a $50,000 prize money awarded to former President Rawlings for his efforts at fighting hunger. The former President, who founded the University, recently declined similar overtures by President Akufo-Addo to rename the university after him. Why this desperate attempt by President Akufo-Addo to seek self-glorification and aggrandisement as a ‘Renaming-General’ instead of building his own legacy?

President Akufo-Addo must realise that it is about time he began to pen down his own legacy which he will be remembered for after he exits power in 2021. He must know that he will not be remembered for renaming all public universities in Ghana after NPP stalwarts. The least the people of Paga and Navrongo deserve from the Akufo-Addo government is not to rename UDS after C. K. Tedam.

The NPP promised the people a plethora of things in 2016. We want to ask, where are the dams in Navrongo and Paga? Where are the factories they promised? Where is the $1 million per year they promised the Chiana-Paga Constituency? President Akufo-Addo should focus on delivering these goodies rather to the people.

If the President truly wishes to honour the people of Navrongo, Paga and C. K. Tedam for that matter, we urge him to emulate the standard set by President Mahama by upgrading and uplifting the Paga Airstrip to the level of an international airport and name it after C.K. Tedam. This is how to truly honour the son of Paga whose contributions he claims to admire.

Anything short of this is a celebration of mediocrity and tokenism which have become the stock in trade of President Akufo-Addo. Ghanaians will not remember him for this mediocrity.

Signed.

Dr. Selanwiah Abdul-Mumin (Navrongo Central Constituency Secretary, NDC)