Renaming UDS after C.K Tedam not out of place – Chiana-Paga NPP hits back at NDC

Members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Chiana-Paga Constituency say they do not see anything wrong with moves by President Akufo Addo to rename the Navrongo campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) after late veteran politician, C.K Tedam.

President Akufo Addo last week broke the news of government’s intention to rename the University in honour of the late Chairman of the Council of Elders of the NPP, during his State Burial Mass held in Paga.

The announcement, which has since been met with strong opposition from some Ghanaians and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the school will be known as the C.K Tedam University of Technology and Applied Science and made autonomous when Parliament processes are complete.

The NDC who say the late Clement Kubindiwo Tedam has done very little for the university to merit such an honour have through several press statements condemned the intentions of the President and have accused him of going on a renaming spree, seeking “self-glorification and aggrandizement”.

But the Chiana-Paga Constituency wing of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has disagreed with the section of Ghanaians and the NDC who have said it is not suitable to rename the University to immortalize the late Statesman who has been described as a “Rock” by the President.

In a statement signed by the party’s constituency communications officer, Kwame Nabare, the party said what the President intends to do is best, appropriate and not out of place.

They cited examples of names of people from the Kasena-Nankana area who have had prominent places across the country named after them and cautioned the NDC against statements that can create disaffection between the two assemblies.

“We want to bring to the notice of everyone and the NDC that there is Minyila Street in the Koforidua Municipality, is our father Colonel Minyila from Koforidua? An area in Accra is named after our Father Abavana, is he from Accra? There are many other examples of such namings within the country and the world over. So it is therefore inappropriate for anybody to suggest that what the President did was out of place”.

“These NDC members are suggesting that if they had the way, they will change the names of Abedi Pele, Guggisburg, Nkrumah, Livingstone, Luther King etc., who have been named after houses in the St. John Boscos College and the Navrongo Senior High School”.

“We the constituency executives of the NPP in Chiana-Paga would like to remind these people that Paga and Navrongo have been existing as sister towns until in 2006 when they were separated into two assemblies. But even with that, the two assemblies continue to work together and live in peace with each other and we will not allow statements from the NDC to ruin the beautiful relationship relationship”. The party cautioned.

The party said the President has plans to transform the Paga District Hospital into a modern healthcare facility and also upgrade the Paga Senior High School to a model one to make life easy for the people of the Kasena-Nankana West District.

“We want to make it clear that H.E the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo already has plans to upgrade the Paga SHS and Paga District Hospital to make life easy for our people in this district”.

In a related report, the Chairman of the Constituency, Mohammed Karimu, has held his quarterly meetings with electoral area secretaries in the constituency to discuss issues pertinent to the party and show appreciation to them for their hard work.

At the brief meetings held separately in Chiana, the East (Sirigu, Kandiga, Mirigu and Nabango) and Paga, Chairman Gargo, as he is affectionately called, urged the party scribes to strengthen their loyalty and dedication to the party to secure a win for the NPP in the area at all times.

He called on the executives to be on the lookout and report any anomalies at centres in the ongoing limited voters’ registration exercise being carried out by the Electoral Commission (EC).

Mr. Karimu, from his own funding, distributed several full pieces of GTP cloths and money to the secretaries as show of appreciation for their unrelenting support, services and commitment to activities of the party at all levels.

He hinted that government has plans in the offing to empower women and men with various skills training and jobs so as to make them financially independent to take care of their families.