EXCELLENT MOVE! Odotei Down, Okoe- Boye Up

A couple of news from the Presidency have forced out chin-to-chin smiles even in this difficult season of restricted movement and temporal closure of several income generating businesses, where smiles have become scarce.

While dust was yet to settle on the great and reassuring announcement that government would absorb all water bills for the next three months, pay some 50 percent salary bonus to frontline health workers in the COVID-19 war and also provide free food for some 400,000 persons within the vulnerable bracket, there came another exciting news of a mini reshuffle of some deputy ministers and the list was simply an excellent move.

Teshi-Ledzokuku Member of Parliament, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye being named as Deputy Health Minister-designate has received loud applause across the country and from all indications, the President has made a right choice.

Over the period, Dr. Okoe-Boye has proven himself as a strategic asset to the Nana Addo led government, most especially in the wake of this deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

He has been on the forefront of information dissemination using very basic language in explaining complex medical terms and scenario in a way that makes meaning to the ordinary man.

Even before the announcement that Okoe-Boye would be made a Deputy Health Minister, he was already up to that task with his sleeves folded up on the frontline of the anti COVID-19 war. He has been down to earth in his approach. He has been seen at hospitals actually working as a medical doctor to help save the situation. He was one of the first to push the Korle Bu Teaching hospital to produce its own alcohol based hand sanitizers.

On the other hand, never in the young history of The New Publisher, has the paper received more letters of complaints, agitations, protests and petitions against an incumbent Member of Parliament than it has received in respect of Vincent Sowah Odotei the La-Dadekotopon MP and former Deputy Communications Minister.

We fall within his geographical area and can report on authority that the goodwill and support Vincent Odotei aka OBAMA, had in ousting the then MP, Nii Amasah Namoale, has evaporated. He himself chased it out of his political armory. And there can be no better time to have relieved him of his deputy ministerial post than now.

Certainly as the incumbent, he would have a handful of diehards singing his praises, but the majority of his people, including party leaders,  have said they are simply disillusioned, disappointed and in a state of despair at his abysmal performance, style and attitude.

We would not delve deep into matters that would cause collateral damage to his party, just so that if by the grace of God, he does not win his primaries, his misdeeds would not be used as political currency against the innocent candidate that may emerge.

Dadekotopon, has not been a predominantly New Patriotic Party (NPP) safe seat. It is therefore politically suicidal for the party to go to the polls with a political commodity that is damaged and does not symbolize intra-party unity and respect for all.

We would return to this ‘troubles of OBAMA’ but for now, we congratulate Dr. Okoe-Boye and say a BIG THANK YOU to Nana Addo for the announcement of Vincent Odotei down, Okoe-Boye up.