Maame Ama Pratt, the Press Secretary to Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has criticized Alex King Nartey, a member of the public relations unit of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), over his rebuttal to the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene.

Nartey had accused the minister of engaging in self-aggrandizement at the expense of hardworking firefighters.

Alex King Nartey was reacting to a viral video from the scene of the Adum Market fire, where Dr. Amoakohene was captured criticizing firefighters for their perceived lack of enthusiasm in combating the blaze.

Nartey questioned the minister’s motivation, noting the potential impact of his comments on the morale of the officers.

Responding to the development during a panel discussion on Metro TV on March 25, 2025, Ama Pratt argued that extreme reactions are sometimes necessary to achieve results.

She accused King Nartey of being a member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and claimed he consistently criticized the government.

“But you see, sometimes shouting gets things done. Sometimes you need to put a little fire…on behind of some people to get things done,” she said.

“Absolutely, I find nothing wrong with the minister expressing how he felt in the moment. The PRO is wrong, and let us tell him he is wrong. Subsequently, I have come to know him as an NPP activist who uses his page loudly to criticize anything NDC, anything John Mahama. It doesn’t help him.”

Meanwhile, Alex King Nartey has apologized to the minister for his comments. Before his apology, the minister accused him of doing the bidding of the opposition party, citing an old social media post in which Nartey criticized the NDC government.

On March 21, 2025, a fire broke out at Adum Market, located in the heart of Kumasi's Central Business District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

The blaze started in the early hours of the morning, around 6:00 AM, and rapidly spread through a multi-storey commercial building.

Shops selling items such as mobile phones, accessories, jewelry, clothing, and second-hand goods were engulfed in flames.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), which has been at the scene since the outbreak.

Firefighters faced significant challenges in containing the blaze due to the market's congested layout and limited access routes.

Narrow alleyways and closely packed wooden structures hampered their efforts.

Despite deploying multiple fire tenders, the highly combustible materials in the shops fueled the rapid spread of the inferno.

During a visit to the site, the Ashanti Regional Minister expressed frustration at the firefighters, accusing them of lacking commitment to fighting the blaze.

TWI NEWS

Adum Fires: Shouting doesn't quench fire but it gets things done. Stop the NPP Politics and do your job! - Ama Pratt to Fire Service PRO on clash with A/R Minister#GoodMorningGhana #MetroTV pic.twitter.com/GHxgkDAEDd

— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) March 24, 2025