Otiko Djaba approved as Gender Minister

• Posted on February 8, 2017
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba has been approved by Parliament, after the House subjected her approval to a vote.

PeaceFM‘s Parliamentary Correspondent reports that “152 legislators voted in support of her approval, more than the required half” of the votes of the 275-member house.

According to him, “No vote was recorded against her nomination as the Minority abstained from voting“.

Before her approval, Hon. Otiko Djaba was faced with a barrage of criticisms over her inability to do national service.

The Minority Caucus on the Appointments Committee abstained from approving her nomination citing her inability to undertake her national service as well as her posture during her vetting as reasons.

However, the Committee as a whole recommended Ms Djaba and other nominees for approval by majority decision despite Ms Djaba’s refusal to apologise for her allegedly disparaging remarks about Former President John Dramani Mahama prior to last year’s elections describing him as “evil”, “wicked” and “an embarrassment” to people of the regions up north.

On Friday 3 February, the Minority in Parliament pushed for the vote to be cast immediately, but the Majority insisted the vote be deferred to today, Tuesday, February 7.

Debating Ms Djaba’s approval, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said: “She does not have our support and she will not have our support until she behaves in a manner befitting a minister.”

He maintained that the nominee’s failure to participate in a one-year service to the nation after her undergraduate studies at the University for Development Studies disqualified her from public service.

Mr Iddrisu said he was “referring to Act 426 section 7 of the Constitution”, adding: “It is also a national obligation. She, in her answers, was forthright and was candid with the committee that ‘I have not done national service’. Therefore, can she work in the public service of Ghana and hold the high office of a minister of state?”

But, Suhum MP Frederick Opare-Ansah pointed out that the requirement of ministers is similar to that of parliamentarians and if parliamentarians were not requested to present a national service certificate before being cleared to contest as MPs, it would be needless to request for a national service certificate from Ms Djaba.

Peace FM News Bulletin at 6 pm, monitored by Peacefmonline.com, disclosed that Hon. Otiko Djaba has finally had a smooth ride to head the Ministry.

-PeaceFM