The new Managing Director (MD) of the Tema Oil Refinery, Isaac Osei, has the credentials and the capabilities to manage the nation’s only refinery, John Ebo Botwe, Chairman of Senior and Junior Staff Association of TOR, has said.

His comment follows news indicating that the outgoing Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin in the Ashanti Region is to take over from Mr Kwame Awuah Darko as MD of TOR.

Mr Osei, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board and Ghana’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, is expected to assume his new position after the swearing in of president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo on Saturday.

Speaking on Ghana Yensom, hosted by Chief Jerry Forson, on Accra 100.5FM on Friday, 6 January, Mr Botwe said: “We know that the government that is coming is a listening government. We have heard that Mr Isaac Osei is the new MD and TOR is delighted and ready for him because we know him from afar, we know that he is somebody who is business-minded, we know all that he did with COCOBOD, we know his history and we are delighted about it and we are hoping and praying that he would work to expectation.”

He added: “For us, the workers at TOR, we don’t do politics and so we think management of TOR should be devoid of politics. Given the type of business we do, when there is too much political interference, it worries the workers and the economy in general. So we are just pleading that the political powers that be should know that the refinery is a strategic asset. If t is devoid of politics at least we can have good profits. The current Managing Director (Kwame Awuah Darko) showed that leadership style. Although there were some political interferences, he had his way to make sure that the company runs. For us the workers, if you sing political song and the company will run we don’t have a problem but our problem is whereby the company has to stop for somebody to use our facilities and we will be sitting due to politics. This time TOR workers will not allow that to happen.”