<<Print>>A Deputy Minister of Education in charge of tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has in a rejoinder denied reports that he was 8 hours late for an event in the Volta Region and that the official time communicated to him was 2pm, instead of 9am.
Below is Samuel Ablakwa’s rejoinder:-
REJOINDER: “ABLAKWA’S LATENESS TO FUNCTION ANGERS VOLTA CHIEFS”.
My attention has been drawn to a citifmonline report under the caption: “Ablakwa’s lateness to function angers Volta Chiefs.”
This publication is rather misleading and unfortunate. I have not and would never disrespect our revered chiefs or any group of persons expecting me to attend a function.
The Ministry of Education scheduled a number of site handing over ceremonies last week across all 10 Regions of Ghana for the next phase of construction in fulfillment of President Mahama’s pledge to expand access to Senior High Schools.
I was expected in the Adaklu District to hand over the site for the construction of a new Community Day Senior High School at 2pm and not 9am as this publication claims. I must also add that another important engagement which was a meeting with over 50 members of the University of Health and Allied Sciences Land Owners’ Association over compensation demands which took place in the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and chaired by the Deputy Volta Regional Minister was the cause of a slight delay in the commencement of the Adaklu programme.
I must be clear from the onset that I do not consider any type of delay justifiable and that is how I have conducted myself over the past 6 and half years as a public servant and that is why in this instance I was very apologetic to our venerable Chiefs and people of Adaklu.
This meeting at the RCC was a crucial one attended by the Regional Lands Commission, Heads of Security Agencies in the Volta Region and officials of the RCC to address concerns of the UHAS land owners. It is important to note that I was in this meeting with the MP for Adaklu, Hon. Kwame Agbodza who made sure to communicate with his DCE on a regular basis. He also assured them that we will be joining them soon since this meeting dragged knowing that it was just a 10 minute drive required from the RCC to the Adaklu event.
When I arrived in Adaklu at about 3pm in the company of the Deputy Regional Minister and the MP, we immediately apologized which was very well received and we had a brief and impressive site handing over ceremony. In their address which is available to several media, the Chiefs noted that they were not angry at all and that they were in touch with their MP and knew what had been transpiring at the RCC.
They also added that it was rather a very joyous day for Adaklu because the President was honouring his pledge to them by providing them a new Community Day Senior High School few months after honouring another pledge to construct their roads which he personally conveyed to them when he visited Adaklu.
As part of their address, the Chiefs even donated land to me in what they said was in appreciation of my hard work and commitment though I am yet to take up the offer. I do not want to believe this is what Chiefs do when they are angry with you.
Having noted all of the above, we will be interested in looking into the very unfortunate claim that school children were made to leave schools from 9am meaning that they missed out on studies for that day especially as this was intended to be an afternoon after-school programme which did not require the presence of school children.
Signed,