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Minister-designate of Manpower, Youth
and Employment faces tough vetting in Parliament
Accra, July 27, Ghanadot/GNA – Mr. Emmanuel Ken-Wuud Nuworsu,
Minister-designate of Manpower, Youth and Employment, on
Thursday faced a tough time at the ongoing vetting of the
President's nominees for ministerial positions.
Mr. Nuworsu first had to contend with allegations of sexual
misconduct with a subordinate, which he denied and
challenged those making the allegations to prove their case
in a court of competent jurisdiction.
Asked if he had ever met the husband of the lady in
question, Mr Nuworsu said: "Mr Chairman, there is no truth
in the allegation. I have no idea about the case and I can
say that I have never met the man."
He also denied ever being in a meeting with the lady, her
husband and a pastor aimed at resolving the rift between
them.
He said the allegations came up a few years ago and it was
reported to the Bureau of National Investigations.
"I am surprised that this has been brought before this
committee. But if they have any evidence, they should bring
it out. My conscience is clear."
Mr. Nuworsu said he had also not sighted any petition from
the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)
requesting him to answer questions on the matter.
He described the publication of his alleged relationship
with a married woman as "a vicious publication".
Questions which came mainly from Minority party members also
centred on allegations of financial impropriety and queries
from CHRAJ as well as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah (NDC- Ningo-Prampram), Dr Benjamin
Kumbour (NDC-Lawra Nandom), Captain (Rtd) George Nfojoh (NDC-Ho
Central) and Alhaji Muhammed Muntaka Mubarak (NDC Asawase)
asked most of the questions.
According to the nominee, it was strange since he had
responded to most of the requests from the named bodies.
Mr. Nuworsu said the Volta Region National Disaster
Management Organisation (NADMO), for which he was the
Regional Director, was asked to provide the response when
the original was not found after the substantive officer at
the Auditor-General's Department had been moved.
He denied that he had blocked money that was to go to some
staff of NADMO arguing that he had to place a hold on an
officer's salary, "not entitlements until an internal audit
I had ordered was completed. When they finished their
findings, his money was released to him".
He said an order from CHRAJ for the Volta Region NADMO to
pay one Colonel Dovlo was complied with immediately it was
received.
Mr Nuworsu said the Regional Ministers and District Chief
Executives were by law mandated to receive relief items on
behalf of victims, but Mr Kumbour said it was not true and
Mr Nuworsu should provide the legal backing to the claim.
He could not provide it immediately and requested the
Committee to give him time to provide it.
Mr Kumbour said: "I put it to you that there is no such law
in the books."
However, Mr Freddie Blay, Chairman of the Vetting Committee,
said: "We are not in a court, we are not in a court, member,
shall we allow the nominee to have time and respond to the
matter?"
Mr Nuworsu said allegations that various sums of money
including 547 million cedis and car covers could not be
located were false even though he admitted that he had not
received letters from the SFO on the case.
He also said the case was being politicised just because he
is a New Patriotic Party regional Chairman.
Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, Deputy Majority Leader, who was to
be vetted for the position of Majority Leader and Minister
of Parliamentary Affairs had the easiest task as he spent
the shortest time before the committee.
After taking the oath, he was welcomed by the Chairman of
the Committee and told to go since the Committee believes in
his competence and experience for the job of Majority Leader
and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.
Next was Mr Ofosu Asamoah, Minister-designate for the
Eastern Region who said the Afram Plains was a major area
that must be tackled and would be a project on his heart.
"I will work closely with my boss, the regional Minister to
make the plains accessible and make farming worthwhile," the
nominee, who is the NPP MP for Kade.
He said farming in the area was not sustainable and he would
work to bring the changes required.
Mr Asamoah condemned the surge in illegal mining "galamsey"
and said the practice must be halted to make mining
profitable, safe and healthy for the youth. He also agreed
with members who said it would be prudent to have
concessions with lower grades place for the youth to do
their mining.
The Minister-designate mentioned tourism and development of
the hospitality industry as major projects that would
attract his attention.
Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia said she still had her eyes
on becoming a running mate of a presidential candidate.
"I see my appointment as deputy regional minister as the
beginning of greater things to come. One must learn how to
crawl before running and I see this appointment as a
learning ground," she added.
Mrs. Chigabatia condemned the practice of female genital
mutilation and congratulated Parliament for outlawing it.
She said she would be working harder than before to
eliminate early marriages in her area, a practice she
described as the main cause of the drift of a large number
of females from the Region to become ‘kayayee’ (female
porters) in urban areas.
Other nominees who appeared before the committee were Mr
Samuel Obodai, Deputy Minister-designate for Central Region
and Mr Godfrey Bayon Tangu, Minister of State-designate at
the Ministry of Transportation.
GNA
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