Group condemns Bugri Naabu for deliberate distractions against Otiko Djaba

A Group of concerned women have condemned what they term the “continuous interference and deliberate distractions” of the work of the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Otiko Afisah Djaba, by the Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Daniel Bugri Naabu.

They have, therefore, called on the government to call him to order to ensure peace and unity in the country and the Northern Region in particular.

At a press conference in Accra last Tuesday, the group, made up of some caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), NPP Women Organisers from other regions and women and men from other political parties, stated: “We humbly call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to bring Chairman Bugri Naabu and his cohorts to order so that the Gender Minister, Ms Djaba, can have the peace of mind to work for the government and the good people of Ghana”.

Ms Christiana L. Nkansah is the spokesperson for the group.

They also stated that “it is quite obvious that Mr Naabu sees himself as untouchable in the NPP and, therefore, feels that he must decide who should be appointed by Ms Djaba to any position under the GSFP, which is a national programme”, they added.

The group made particular mention of Mr Naabu’s continuous interference and distraction in the operations of the GSFP in the Northern Region, saying “we are very much surprised about why Bugri Naabu and his followers are so determined to show much disrespect to Ms Djaba, and why they interfere and distract her work and recruitment into the GSFP”.

Members of the group added that “we have been silent and patient for far too long, expecting our government and other well-meaning Ghanaians to call Mr Naabu and his cohorts to order, but very little or no efforts have been made to protect the integrity of the government and the ministry to ensure the smooth implementation of the good policies and programmes of President Akufo-Addo”.

They added that Mr Naabu and his cohorts’ attempt to demonise Ms Djaba, the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Salifu Saeed; the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr Solomon Boar; the Mayor of Tamale, Mr Iddrisu Musah Superior, and many others had given the government a bad name in the Northern Region.

“Mr Naabu has succeeded in taking unilateral decisions to sack even NPP regional council elders, constituency party chairmen, deputy chairmen and women organisers to satisfy his own selfish interest. Enough is enough! Bugri Naabu must be called to order. He must stop behaving as if he is the only one who worked to bring the NPP to power and thus expects his personal interests to be above the supreme interest of all Ghanaians,” the group stated.

They said under the watch of Ms Djaba, the GSFP had recruited more caterers from 4,730 in 2016 to 6,149 in 2017 and also increased zonal GSFP coordinators from 56 in 2016 to 68 in 2017.