Tein Protests Over Neglect of SPIO

Zambaga Rufai Saminu

The exclusion of Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah from the Atta Mills’ government continues to receive flak from supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Members of the Takoradi branch of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the NDC are the latest to join the nationwide fray in questioning the basis upon which the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) was excluded from the government that they believed he toiled to bring to power.

The students, in sympathizing with the former Education and Communications Minister urged the President to consider bringing him on board.

Dr. Spio-Garbrah gave President John Evans Atta Mills a run for his money in the last congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). After his defeat, he together with other candidates- Alhaji Mahama Iddirisu and Eddy Anan urged their supporters to join the party’s campaign team in canvassing for votes for the then candidate Mills.

Whilst the student were demanding to know why the latter had been excluded from the government, Hon. Fritz Baffour, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, who claimed to be a cousin of Dr. Spio-Garbrah and a childhood friend, attempted to explain that Dr Spio-Grabrah had not been sidelined as being claimed.

"As far as the government is concerned, nobody has been sidelined, all ethnic groups have been considered to ensure a regional balance," he pointed out. Hon. Baffour told the enthusiastic students that unlike the previous NPP administration where President Kufuor did not appoint a single cabinet Minister from the Upper West Region of Ghana, whiles Professor Atta Mills on his part had factored ethnic and regional considerations in his appointments. "All ethnic groups are fully represented in the government," he further pointed out.

Hon. Baffour regretted that in the erstwhile government of the New Patriotic Party, the Volta region, with all its human resource capacity was underrepresented in the government, whilst other regions in the country were over represented. That to him was unacceptable and, therefore, such avoidable mistake had informed the decision by the sitting President to give equal opportunity to all the regions in Ghana, to join hands in serving in the government.

To this end, he urged the students to rally behind the government and desist from forming copious opinions about the government, especially regarding the penultimate decisions of the President. He said not all NDC members can become Ministers of State just because their party was in power, and that those who were competent enough could still join the government when reshuffle is done, or through subsequent appointments. "It is not everybody who can be a Minister, there can be reshuffle and others will then come in," he opined.