Woyongo asked to return better prepared

Spread, Sat Feb 14, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah
THE Upper East Regional Minister designate, Mr Mark Woyongo, yesterday made a shaky appearance before the Appointments Committee of Parliament and succeeded in drawing some sympathy from the committee members who asked him to sort himself out and reappear at another date.
The former Minister Counsellor for Information at the Ghana High Commission in London found himself caught in his own web as he tried to explain the circumstances surrounding his importation of radio equipment into the country and issues relating to his voter registration.
The Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the committee, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had engaged him in a series of questions and the contention had been whether he could recall appearing before a committee of enquiry to answer questions relating to the said importation of radio equipment.
Mr Woyongo had initially told the committee that although he had reported to the then Director-General of GBC to explain the issues to him, he had not appeared before a committee of enquiry.
But after the Minority Leader had pressed on with other questions, Mr Woyongo conceded that he might have appeared before a committee of enquiry.
“I now recollect that I met a group at GBC and they wanted to find out how my equipment got into their container,” he told the committee.
That appeared to have drawn the ire of the Chairman of the committee, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, who had earlier warned the nominee that since he was speaking on oath, he needed to be truthful and straightforward.
Thereafter, the Minority Leader sought to clarify an issue related to the nominee’s registration as a voter, apparently in a move to address a complaint presented to the committee by a petitioner, to which Mr Woyongo responded that he had originally registered in La, Accra, and voted there in 2004.
He explained, however, that in 2008 he transferred his vote to Navrongo in the Upper East Region where he contested as a parliamentary candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
When asked whether he had his name on the main voters register or the transfer list, the nominee stated that his name had been on the main voters register at the Nayagenia Polling Station where he had cast his ballot during the 2008 elections.
That appeared to have been the breaking point, as Mr Woyongo explained that he had gone to the IT Department of the Electoral Commission to effect the transfer of his ballot.
Perhaps sensing that the nominee was not well composed and prepared for the vetting exercise, the Minority Leader suggested that he be permitted to leave and sort himself well and to reappear at another date.
“It will be in your own interest if you go and sort yourself out well to reappear before us,” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated.
The MP for Lower Manya, Mr Teye Nyaunu, concurred with the Minority Leader and said since the nominee appeared to be a little confused, he should be allowed to reappear at another date.
When he appeared before the committee, the Minister designate for Youth and Sports, Alhaji Muhammad Muntaka Mubarak outlined his vision for the ministry and pledged to institute programmes that would help to develop the youth of the country.
He said if given the nod, he would not abandon the National Youth Employment Programme introduced by the previous administration, since it was a good programme aimed at empowering the youth to be self dependent.
He said the new administration was determined to improve sports infrastructure in the country and pledged to work towards the achievement of that dream.
He said there was the need to encourage sports development in schools, since academic institutions had contributed significantly towards nurturing good sportsmen and women for the country.
The minister designate stated that it was important to re-orient the youth to make them confident and also engineer in them the belief that they didn’t need to travel to the West to be successful in life.
The ministers designate for the Western and Volta regions, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo and Mr Joseph Amenowode, respectively, also appeared before the committee to answer questions.
Mr Aidoo told the committee that when given the nod, he would work towards uniting the people of the region and also provide a very good blueprint for the development of the region.
For his part, Mr Amenowode told the committee that he would work with the Ministry of Tourism to develop the tourism potential of the Volta Region if he is given the nod as the regional minister.