Professor Kingsley Nyarko, the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso constituency, has chided persons he believes are detractors of Energy Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh and hell-bent on seeing him out of the ministry.

In a social media post, Professor Kingsley Nyarko eulogized Napo as 'one of the finest brains' in the Akufo-Addo government, whose work must be projected instead of condemned.

He said that there have been attempts by some individuals to taint the image of NAPO through the propagation of spurious messages.

In his defense and affirmation of belief in NAPO, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko fumed that any attempts by the perceived detractors to bring down his compatriot will not succeed, as he remains a dedicated and patriotic Ghanaian.

Touching on a viral video in which NAPO was alleged to have said, "Ashantis only need t-shirts to vote for the NPP," Professor Kingsley Nyarko said, "It seems there's a grand scheme and a calculated attempt to smear and mar the hard-earned reputation of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh—popularly known as Napo—who is the minister responsible for energy.

In recent times, certain individuals, mostly faceless, have connived and fabricated stories with the singular motive of denting the image of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, one of the most respected, hardworking, and promising ministers in the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led administration.

"It began with a viral video of the dynamic minister who once also led the education ministry to unprecedented achievements in the education sector and the socio-political development of the country.

"That video, which was shot in 2020 before the general election and during the Covid-19 restrictions period, was linked to the recently held Kumawu by-election and sadly suggested that the able minister indicated that the people of the Ashanti region don't need development but only NPP T-Shirts.

"In the first place, Napo didn't say that, and can't say that considering his political prowess and astuteness. Again, that statement wasn't made in Kumawu during the by-election," Professor Kingsley Nyarko clarified.

He also slammed sections of the Ghanaian media for making false publications against NAPO.

He warned that such calculated attempts on NAPO will yield no results, as NAPO has consistently risen above selfish interests and pursued the path that benefits the average Ghanaian.

"The most ridiculous of the diabolical orchestrations against him was the Daily Guide's publication of yesterday, 31/05/2023, that he flew a private jet to celebrate his 55th birthday in France from Dubai when he celebrated his birthday in Ghana on Tuesday, 23/05/23, in Accra and attended an economic management team meeting and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation meeting later in the day. He then traveled the next day in the evening to Athens via KLM.

"What then occasioned the injurious reputation publication in the Daily Guide newspaper that Napo traveled on a private jet from Dubai to France to celebrate his birthday? What wickedness is this? What was the motivation behind the story? To achieve what?" he questioned.

His comments come in the wake of recent controversy surrounding the sale of some of Ghana's interest in the Anadarko West Cape Three Points Company ("Anadarko").

NAPO, at a meeting with the Board of Directors of the GNPC in October 2022, ordered the GNPC to cease the transaction it was having with PetroSA regarding the sale of some of Ghana's interest in the Anadarko West Cape Three Points Company ("Anadarko").

The government owns 7 percent of the oil discovery in the West Cape Three Points block offshore Ghana, which was discovered by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, a US oil company.

PetroSA owns 4.45 percent interest in the Deep Water Tano (DWT), which is operated by Tullow Ghana Limited.

By the proposed deal, the government is seeking to exchange 3.5 percent of its holdings in Anadarko for the 4.45 percent interest in the DWT owned by PetroSA.

Stakeholders in the sector have warned against the move, saying that it is not in the interest of the country.






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