You have to justify your nomination – Ayariga to ministerial nominees

Mahama Ayariga, a member of the Appointment Committee of Parliament has served a notice to ministerial nominees that they will have to convince the committee of their competence and readiness to serve the nation before they are approved.

He cautioned on Joy News that the committee will not be a rubber-stamp committee as it was the case previously.

According to him, the committee will be doing Ghanaians a great disservice if they do not demand the best from the nominees.

The Bawku Central MP explained that the nominees must prove that they are up for the task assigned to them by President Akufo-Addo.

“You would have to justify your nomination by the president, and I think that is good for Ghana. We will be failing Ghanaians if you come and you are not up to standard and we just pass you,” he said on Wednesday.

“I don’t think that the tax payer’s money, or with the kind of monies that are used to pay us to run the affairs of the public, it will be fair to the taxpayer that we lined up mediocre people to run public affairs.”

Ayariga explained that the make-up of the committee and parliament is an opportunity for the MPs to advance the interest of Ghanaians.

“This current structure of parliament provides an opportunity to screen people properly and if really they don’t meet the standards it will raise the red flags.”

He furthered that the NDC MPs will not use the platform to settle personal scores or antagonize any appointee but will do a professional job.

“We are able to prove that you are not capable of the job, I think that we will vote according to our conscience. No MP is just going to go out there, massacring people out of personal or perceived antagonism towards particular nominees.”

The committee will from February 10, 2021, begin the vetting of the first batch of ministerial appointments made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.