Ofori-Atta Saga: What Eric Opoku said about accounting for his stewardship

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has disclosed that he was called to account for his stewardship after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) left office and a new government took over.

Providing details of the incident, Opoku said he received a directive to meet with the transition team when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) assumed office in 2017.

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He indicated that he honored the call and accounted for his tenure and stewardship as a regional minister, stressing that former public officials must submit themselves to accountability when called upon.

“I have been a minister before. When we lost office, NPP had assumed the office. They wrote to me to come and meet the transition team. I went and met with them. They asked me the questions, I responded and that ended it,” he recounted on GH One TV on January 22, 2026.

Reacting to issues surrounding former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Eric Opoku said no public officer should assume they are exempt from scrutiny once they leave office.

He argued that accounting for one’s stewardship is a basic responsibility of public service and should not be treated as optional.

“I think that every public officeholder must understand that once you are entrusted with a responsibility, you will one day account for your stewardship and so when the day comes, you don't run.

“It is absolutely wrong for you to presume that you will not account for your stewardship as a public servant. No, that shouldn't be. So, some of us are worried why a public officer should attempt to run away from accountability. Come listen and answer to the questions. If you did your best with the best of intentions and your conscience judges you right, why do you fear?” he said.

Opoku further condemned Ofori-Atta’s failure to return to the country to be investigated by authorities, describing it as “a disgrace to himself as a person and a disgrace to his party.”

He pointed out that several former ministers from the previous administration have made themselves available whenever invited by state institutions.

“What has happened is a disgrace to himself as a person and a disgrace to his party, so, it is an unfortunate incident. It shouldn't have happened at all. Some of the ministers of the previous regime are around. Whenever you invite them, they will come. You ask them the questions. If you find them culpable, expose them to the full rigors of the law. If they are not culpable, they will go back to their homes,” he indicated.

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He expressed concern that the current situation involving Ofori-Atta has set a poor example, particularly given the importance of the Ministry of Finance.

“It has been so since time immemorial so, I don't understand why a whole finance minister, the handler of the purse of our nation, you don't want to account for your stewardship,” he concluded.



MAG/AE

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