Opinions of Wednesday, 3 July 2024
Columnist: Fiifi Ofori
Truth Stands! From The City Where Father Bacchus Reigns Supreme in our dear
country called Ghana.
KHADIJAH! The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, “Who is like Khadijah? She believed
in me (as the messenger of God) when people rejected me, and she supported me
(in establishing) the religion of God by contributing her wealth.
It’s 3 a.m. on an early Sunday morning. After a night of partying hard throughout the night, the boys are drunk. The ladies who equally had as much fun moderated their drinking knowing that the entire crew had to get home, and someone needed to steer the wheels safely back home, which they did.
Fellow Ghanaians, the time has come for us as Ghanaians to turn over the leadership of the entire country to our dear women to steer the wheel. At this juncture ‘Mother Ghana’ has seen it all from her sons; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. After 65 years of the men calling the shots, it is finally time for the daughters of ‘Mother Ghana’ to take the reins of government and show us what they are capable of.
Ideally, Election ’24 should have seen a potential match-up of an all-female contestant for the presidency. The Honourable Mavis Hawa Koomson and Fatimatu Abubakar for the NPP versus Her Excellency, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang and Dr. Hannah Bissiw for the NDC. Here, our dear nation would be guaranteed that whoever won between the two competing teams, ‘Mother Ghana’ would be in Illustrious, Steady, Vibrant, Compassionate hands with Sound Judgment and Decision Making, among other attributes. It did not materialize, and we have what we have; ‘It is What It Is,’ And so we move on.
Sound Judgment of a Professor:
However, we do have a woman on the ticket of the NDC in the person of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the former Education Minister who was the first female Vice Chancellor of a major University in Ghana at the University of Cape Coast thus paving the way for what is considered normal today.
The venerable professor, a mother who understands the pain of her children is also a long-serving educationist who has nurtured talents and provided guidance and direction to students and colleagues alike.
The professor would lead and provide guidance to a young, vibrant Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, (Son of Man), currently, a lawmaker from North Tongu Constituency when both served at the Ministry of Education with the venerable professor serving as a sort of mentor to the young man. A relationship that flourished smoothly without any unwholesome diatribes.
In Comparison, we have on the NPP ticket Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, (NAPO), who also held the position Education Minister in the current NPP government before moving on to the energy ministry, who had the experienced and eternal educationist Dr. Yaw Adutwum as his deputy to lean on for advice.
In Contrast to Prof. Naana’s vibrant relationship with her deputy, Dr. Opoku-Prempeh was barely on speaking terms with his deputy by the end of the first term of the NPP government in 2020. The reason was that many Ghanaians both within government and without had correctly reasoned that the actual substantive and hard work at the education ministry then was being executed by Dr. Adutwum, and accurately awarded praise and adulation to the deputy.
In short, many Ghanaians saw Dr. Opoku-Prempeh for what he was at the Education
Ministry, i.e., one who valued ‘Style over Substance and Hard work,’ choosing to court media folks to sing his praises and fawn with every shout of the name ‘NAPO,’ rather than buckling down to carry out actual work which was less glamourous.
Interestingly, the only time Dr Opoku-Prempeh was called upon to provide leadership for our education system and the little kids, Dr. NAPO’s ministry, would proceed to source money from the Swedish Government to come teach our kids that the most important thing to learn in Ghana, is a man penetrating another man’s anus, or Kofi feeling like being Ama and proceeding to become Ama.
Fellow Ghanaians, ‘Mother Ghana’ needs a Khadijah; A person who believes in
the dreams and aspirations of the young, youthful, and vibrant sons and
daughters of our dear nation. A person willing to sacrifice and contribute her
wealth of experience to make us achieve our dream of a ‘Better Ghana.’
Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang for Vice President; And so, Shall It Come
to Pass come January 7, 2025.