Opinions of Sunday, 16 July 2017

Columnist: Zuberu Aliu

My advice to Chairman Bugri Naabu

NPP Northern Region Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu NPP Northern Region Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu

The Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), chairman Bugri Naabu has become a news maker for some media houses in recent times.

Chairman Bugri Naabu’s media exposure naturally should place him and his party in a positive light. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

It’s a known fact that the speedy nomination of ministers by the president and the subsequent approval by Parliament received positive remarks from Ghanaians. This achievement by the government was nearly marred my Bugri Naabu’s attack on the minister for Gender and Social Protection in Tamale.

All manner of derogatory comments were used against the minister.

Today, Bugri Naabu is on the Northern Regional Minister and his deputy. What is their crime? The chairman claim is that both ministers are making his work difficult.

We may look at the kind of work Bugri is doing as a regional chairman. But the truth is that it appears chairman Bugri has taken an envious position against the two gentlemen appointed to represent the president in the northern region. Where is this jealous posturing from?

The Bunkprugu-Yunyoo District got political prominence in the media when the nomination and confirmation of MMDCEs begun in the northern region.

Bugri’s nephew, J.K Alhassan was nominated by the president. Unfortunately, the Assembly Members did not support his nomination. Mr. J.K Alhassan was nominated the second time and got the same results.

Why will someone blame the regional minister and his deputy when they have not the right to determine the confirmation or otherwise of a nominee?

Those who witnessed the confirmation ceremony of Bugri’s nephew at the Bunkprugu-Yunyoo District Assembly confessed that the regional minister pleaded with the Assembly Members.

It is important to know what chairman Bugri did to get the Assembly Members to cement his nephew’s nomination.

As far as I know, the confirmation of chairman Bugri’s nephew and all other MMDCE nominees in the northern region would have been a fiasco if the regional minister and his deputy were just arm-chair ministers.

The MMDCEs know the effort that the ministers made during their confirmations and they are living witnesses against all diabolic plans chairman Bugri is hatching against Hon. Salifu Sa-eed and Hon. Solomon Boar.

Chairman Bugri should be told that whilst he was honey mooning in Accra the two ministers and some party functionaries crest crossed the region to ensure that the president nominees got confirmation.

Therefore, the failure of Bugri’s nephew to become the DCE must not warrant the dismissal of ministers. Mr. Bugri could write to the president to allow his nephew act as DCE for the Bunkprugu-Yunyoo District.

The party leadership, as a matter of fact, must call chairman Bugri to order. His needless and insistent attack on Hon. Salifu Sa-eed and Hon. Solomon Boar is not only creating serious challenges for the party communicators in the region and beyond; such behaviour is also negatively affecting Mr. Bugri work as chairman.

Mr. Bugri must know that not all party people support that behavior of publicly disrespecting government appointees and will want opportunities to let him know this. If they do, the outcome may be surprising.

The two ministers and all appointees of the president need space to ensure that government policies are effectively implemented in the region.

I know Mr. Bugri could be a leader with wisdom and I pray he finds a better way of addressing whatever grievances he has with the two appointees.