He Never Voluntarily Left Govt.

Contrary to reports that Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom voluntarily resigned as the Minister of Public Sector Reform last Tuesday, this paper can confirm that it was the President who actually told the Convention People’s Party (CPP) man to exit from his government with immediate effect last Tuesday evening.

Reports reaching The Crusading GUIDE indicate that the Presidential directive to the hitherto Public Sector Reform Minister, was told him only last Tuesday evening at a short-meeting between the two at the Christianburg Castle .

Dr. Nduom, who was unusually tightlipped in an interview with this paper yesterday, reluctantly confirmed: “I did not go to the Castle with my resignation letter in hand last Tuesday. I got there and was told to resign”.

Though Dr. Nduom was unwilling to disclose further information, sources close to him, under condition of anonymity, said the presidential directive came to him as a shock.

This was because he had reportedly explained to the President at an earlier meeting that though he would want to bow out of government he was not ready to do that anytime soon due to some very important national programmes he was handling at his Ministry.

“The pay reforms and the conditions of work, for instance, are some of the things he had tackled midway and would have loved to complete before saying “Thank you for letting me serve my nation, goodbye”, the source noted.

This paper gathered further that there were some senior government officials who were not comfortable with Dr. Nduom as a Minister, ostensibly because he was a Member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP).

Sources say Dr. Nduom had encountered some opposition from some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

On the other hand, some members of the CPP had also grumbled openly, accusing Dr. Nduom of being in bed with the NPP government, to the detriment of his own party, the CPP.

In a release to the media yesterday, Dr. Nduom expressed profound gratitude to President Kufuor for the opportunity given him to serve the nation.

In the release, Dr. Nduom considered himself as a ‘lucky’ person who had been fortunate enough to participate in numerous local and national activities. “I wish to express my sincere gratitude to H.E. President John Agyekum Kufuor for the opportunity given to me to serve my country … I owe a big debt of thanks to the many public servants who have worked with me diligently and conscientiously during my tenure in the Kufuor administration… I am especially grateful for the opportunity to lead the local team that designed the compact worth $547 million (grant) from the USA government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation”, Dr. Nduom noted in his release.

Dr. Nduom recalled that when President Kufuor nominated him for a ministerial position, an unprecedented attention was sparked in Parliament as an extensive examination was conducted into his background, business and political activities.

“I have tried to set an example by working against great odds to be a CPP member working in key positions in an NPP government. Some in the NPP and the CPP have been violently opposed to my serving in the Kufuor administration. Some in the CPP forget that the party’s Central Committee gave formal approval for me to join the (NPP) administration in 2001. It has been difficult for sure. I hope that I have achieved results that hold the promise that an all inclusive government can in the future lead Ghana to become prosperous and happy”, Dr. Nduom noted.