Tension Mounts At Orientation Ministry

…As Oboshie runs riot over "Ghana Palaver" expose’

Serious uneasy calm has built up at the Ministry of Information and National Orientation as the Minister, Mrs. Oboshie Sai Cofie has gone virtually berserk over a directive to female staff banning the wearing of trousers and nondescript skirts at her ministry had been said to be on her instruction by the Head of Special Duties Mrs. Josephine Carboo and the Human Resource Director Mrs. Victoria Essel.

Very reliable sources close to the ministry told the "Ghana Palaver" that the minister at a meeting with the Deputy, Mr. Frank Agyekum, the Acting Director of the Information Service Department (ISD) Mr. James Amuah, the Head of Special Duties and the Human Resource Director early on Tuesday morning September 12 had queried how a suggestion she had only consented to could have been said to be on her instruction by the two heads.

"The Ghana Palaver" publication on Tuesday September 11- Thursday September 13, 2007 edition carried a story on page 6 with the headline - Female Staff Gets Injected With Oboshie’s New Pill…. As Orientation Ministry Bans Wearing of Trousers cited a directive by the head of Special Duties and Human Resource Director purporting to come from the minister on the ban of wearing of trousers by female staff at the ministry beginning from Tuesday September 4, 2007. The new measure was said to be in line with the minister’s new national orientation concept launched over a month ago defining principles that would provide direction for the people in this country in a bid to build a better Ghana and was said to have been seen by the female staff as Oboshie’s bitterest pill to have been injected and raised hue and cry about it especially on the threat "that anybody who fails to comply will fly with the wind"

Meanwhile "Ghana Palaver" sources say in the course of the minister’s agitation, the two heads have only but to look for the escape route of fishing out the person who leaked the information to the Ghana Palaver rushing from one departmental office to the other wondering what the ultimate response of the minister would be.

As at press time yesterday, feverish attempts to get to the bottom of the issue were still being explored with tempers even high as some of the heads at the ministry told this reporter that though it was true that the directive was issued it was an internal matter which they expected to remain so. However, Mr. Frank Agyekum, Deputy Information Minister in a reaction in an interview with the "Daily Searchlight" newspaper publication last Wednesday September 12, 2007 on page 8 admitted a meeting was held on the female staff’s mode of dressing but insisted that the ministry had rather only reminded the female staff to be mindful of the fact that the ministry purports to lead the fight on national orientation and conscientization of the Ghanaian and therefore must lead the fight by mode of dress.

RE-FEMALE STAFF GETS INJECTED WITH OBOSHIE’S NEW PILL

… As Orientation Ministry Bans Wearing of Trousers
The Ministry of Information and National Orientation has read with surprise the report on the above heading authored by one Benjamin Akuffo, which appeared in the Ghana Palaver issue of Tuesday, September 11- Thursday September 13, 2007, on page 6. The report is shocking and unfortunate since it does not reflect issues raised at that meeting.

Issues discussed at the gender forum was to help our staff shape up to the task at hand and to deliberate on issues that affect the welfare and development of the Department and at no time was the ‘wearing of Trousers banned! No female staff is agitating!

There were a lot of useful contributions from the general membership of the female staff at the said meeting and it is therefore interesting to note that the said article has a male’s by-line; or is it a case of a female using a pseudonym to create disharmony. For your information, the Directorate of the ISD holds these meetings with staff members from time to time to deliberate on issues affecting the department. The Minister, Mrs. Oboshie Sai Cofie was not present at this particular meeting, neither did she issue any instructions through those Directors present. Your attention is being drawn to the fact that some of the ladies do wear trouser suits with appropriate tops, which perfectly acceptable.

We are therefore slightly puzzled by what you wrote, which was a clear misrepresentation of what the National Orientation principles stand for. We would have expected that a respectable and reputable newspaper like "Ghana Palaver" would have gone a step further to make enquiries at the Ministry of Information and National Orientation before going ahead to publish, what seems to be deliberate falsehoods. Kindly retract the story, and publish our rejoinder with the same prominence given the subject story. We trust that our rejoinder will be published at an early date Sgnd James Amuah Ag. Director