Ministers Moved In Musical Chairs

For the second time in a year, President John Dramani Mahama has reshuffled his Regional Ministers, moving them back to their original regions where they were first assigned. In his first appointment after the Supreme Court ruling on the 2012 presidential election petition favoured him, President Mahama barely allowed the regional ministers to go through the official hand-over when in March 2013, he announced that he was re-assigning them outside their home regions. These ministers have barely done a year�s work at their duty posts but the President has reassigned them to go back to their original posts. Yesterday a statement from the Flagstaff House, seat of government, signed by Ben Dotsei Malor, spokesperson to the President, said the regional political heads had been returned to their original bases, with the directive that �the Regional Ministers are to report to their new regions by the 15th of March, 2014.� Roll Call As things stand, Eric Opoku from the Brong-Ahafo Region, who was brought to the Ashanti Region, returns to his base where he was a deputy minister before his elevation, while Samuel Sarpong, who had been in the Central Region, reverts to the Ashanti Region. Helen Adwoa Ntoso from the Eastern Region goes back to the Volta Region, where she is an MP, while Julius Debrah, who was brought to the Greater Accra Region, returns to the Eastern Region. Bede Ziedeng, from the Northern Region goes back to the Upper West. Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru, sent to the Upper East, now takes over in the Northern Region, while Dr. Ephraim Avea Nsoh, posted to the Upper West Region, now returns to the Upper East. Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, aka Lion, who has been in the Volta Region, returns to Greater Accra, while E.K.T. Addo form Western Region, has come back to the Central Region; Paul Evans Aidoo, from the Brong- Ahafo Region to his original base �Western Region. Before Alhaji Limuna entered the fray, President Mahama had never appointed any substantive Minister to the Northern Region, even though Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini had been confirmed as the deputy Regional Minister. Speaking to DAILY GUIDE via telephone Monday evening, Mr. Dotsei Malor praised the Ministers for working hard. �If you look across the regions and you look at the performance of these Regional Ministers; you look at the work done by the Deputy Regional Ministers, you will agree that they�ve done a lot�there is a lot of stabilization that has been done by these Regional Ministers; and we have to give them credit for what they�ve done in addition to resolving disputes [and] resolving problems�,� he said. President�s Prerogative Commenting on criticism over the rationale for basically returning the Ministers to their former bases, Mr. Dotse Malor stated: �Let�s give the President the right to the prerogative; when he studies the situation across the regions, the President has the prerogative to decide how or when to move any one of us to serve him better for the good of all Ghanaians�and that is what he has done after careful consideration�Look at the bigger picture and look at the fact that the President in his wisdom under the prerogative that he has used to decide to reassign the regional ministers; that must be respected.�