Minister in trouble for promising NPP executives ‘big contracts’

The Northern Regional Minister Salifu Saeed appears to have incurred the wrath of some persons in the region after he reportedly made comments to the effect that he will award ‘big contracts’ to New Patriotic Party (NPP) executives in the region.

During a courtesy call on the Bimbilla Regent, Nyelingboligu Naa Abdulai Yakubu Dasana at his Palace last week, the minister was reported as saying “government will offer “big contracts” to only “few” party executives to strengthen their financial base. Our Chairman is a contractor, our vice chairman is a contractor, we’ll give them big big contracts to do jobs and engage the youth to go and work and make money so that life will be more meaningful. We will ensure that we give jobs [and] businesses to some few people who can do contracts and make money to take care of the youth”.

His comments have been condemned by some civil society organizations and members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who say the minister ought to have known better and be measured by his utterances.

According to them, the minister is a representative of government in the region and must be fair in the discharge of his duties.

“He expects even members of the opposition party to help him succeed in his administration but if he continues to go on this tangent, I am afraid he is already heading to a crash and may not end well”, Northern Regional Secretary of NDC Halid Abdul Rauf disclosed to mynewsgh.com.

Even though it is an undying fact that party executives are always given contracts by the ruling government, the NDC scribe observed that priority must be given to capability rather political coloration demanding that the minister retract what he described as a careless comment and apologize to residents of the region.

Meanwhile his aide Abubakari Shani Bawumia claimed the voice on the said tape is doctored insisting that the minister never made such a comment during the visit.

He believed some persons have manipulated with the recording of the minister’s interaction with the traditional authorities to make him unpopular.