Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, has summoned the Local Government Minister and the management of the Births and Deaths Registry, following the latter’s decision to blacklist some indigenous names from being registered in the country.
Persons who wish to register names such as Nana, Naa, Junior among others, have been turned away in recent times by the Births and Deaths Registry with a reason that such names are considered as titles.
The Ministry was summoned after the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, put forward a request, while questioning the Births and Deaths Registry’s power to issue and apply such directives.
Making his case before the House, Mr. Iddrisu said: “I have with me here, the Daily Heritage newspaper with a caption headline, Ghanaians angry over ban on names such as Nana, Nii, Maame, Junior…I am raising this so that this house will summon the Minister for Local Government and the management of the Births and Deaths Registry to explain to this House where the source of their power is.”
‘Blacklisting names illegal’
The Births and Deaths Registry’s decision has been widely criticized by Ghanaians, including Legal Practitioner, Ace Ankomah who has described the move as illegal.
The Registrar at the Births and Deaths Registry, John Yao Agbeko, however justified the action, saying the law governing the Registry’s operations – Act 301 (1965), gives them the power to do so.
“There is a law that regulates the activities of the Births and Deaths registry, that law is the Births and Deaths Registration Act 301 of 1965. In this Act, we have a function for the Minister to do a regulation. In the regulation, there is a function for the Registrar to come out with a mode of operation.”
“…So even though you will not read it in the Act, the regulation allows the registrar to come out with the mode of operation to manage the place, and that is what we have done. That is why if you go to Tamale, the one over there will tell you that you cannot register that name. If you pick that same name and you run to Accra, in order to do same, you will be told you can’t do it,” he explained on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday.
But Ace Ankomah pointed out that what the Registry was doing “is not in the law, and it is also not in the regulation that was supposed to have been made under the 1965 Act.”
Occupy Ghana petitions AG over blacklisted names by Births and Deaths
Pressure Group, Occupy Ghana, has written to the Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, to complain about the Births & Deaths Registry’s action.
Occupy Ghana in the letter argued that, the Registry’s action has no basis in law, and charged the Attorney General to take steps to address the issue since it is a gross violation of the rights of Ghanaians.
“We have however checked that Act and all relevant laws including the Regulations passed under the Act. We have not seen any provision that either supports this policy or gives the Registrars of Births and Deaths any power to refuse to register any name. We believe that this stance is a gross violation of the rights of Ghanaians to choose names (particularly Ghanaian names) as they deem fit for their children, subject to the right to change one’s name at any time later in life,” the letter said.
Occupy Ghana in the letter, which was also copied to the Local Government Minister, called on the Attorney General to order the Registry to stop such acts, else they will proceed to court within the next 30 days.
Source: Citifmonline
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WANING::!!!Every refugee receives passport given by United Nations. Never on this earth refugee receive the passport of that country except Ghana. Do our parlimantarians know law regarding refugees? Even refugee have to stay a while at least 5 years before he/she can apply for that country's nationality. If accepted then he/she can apply for travel documents such as passport. Therefore the whole thing concern these Guantanamo 2 is wrong and fault. They have to apply their refugee status from Ministry of Interior and if granted, 5 years later ask for citizenship. It will be totally wrong if the government fail to follow this refugee or international law. Ghanaians are watching oo. We live in Europe and this is what we go through or the process we follow.How can Ghana be so loose and cheap because of few money. Look what happened to our fellow brothers in Libya and Arab countries like Quatar etc.
And when Ghana is finally recovering from mental slavery of names, hw3 de3 ***barred word*** bi nso 33kyer3 wo ho. I agree with Dadwen from Machester. Intellectuals are the dumbest. They are easily bought of their brains. They behave as if they knew it all. That Birth and Registry man would have been sacked or pressured to resign in any nation of common sense after such 'ofuidious' justification. But Ghana is hopeless oo if this is that how some of our leaders think? Imagine how many of them dont have 'head' like this man. They dont even understand the basics of things....
Agbeko means ‘Only Life’ 😂😂🤣
The man is mentally unrighteous .......
Incompetent at highest level you need to be fired.Are you telling us how to name our kids?
Bonsu is whale and aseye means glory be to God etc. nhyira is blessing and nkunim is victor. Is the head of death and birth registry missing some of his brain cells? There is enough space at the patang psychiatric hospital. What is the meaning of Agbeko? This man's head needs to be examined
Do you know that intellectuals are mentally enslaved? They behave as if they know. They are all brain dead. They don't know anytghing. Their minds are easily bought. ***barred word*** I T Y. Another agent of the devil who hates culture. Destroyers of our culturew. What would be the identity of the Ghanaian? Nana or King?
It's about time we examined the head of heads of our institutions. How can MODE OF OPERATION affect the kind of names people give christen their children with? This mean needs FIRING!
PROF I BEG WHIP THEM WELL WELL, HOW CAN YOU SAY U CANT REGISTER NANA BUT YOU REGISTER KING
Victoria Can be easily be translated in twi as Nkunim. Birth and death will find it very easily to register Victoria as compared to Nkunim. Head of B&D are you correct mentally. they register Blessing and ignore Nhyira. Colonial mentality.