The National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has sold his personal objectivity as the party’s leader for a bowl of porridge.
Yesterday he allowed himself to be sworn in by the Minister of Energy as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), following the lead of the former chairman of the party who also accepted a similar post.
The Minister of Energy is Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a Member of Parliament, who, as Minister, is a member of the Executive. As a Member of Parliament, it would fall to the lot of Mr. Ntim, as party chairman, to crack the whip if Opoku Prempeh were to step out of line.
As a Minister, however, Opoku Prempeh is under the authority of the President. As Board Chairman, Ntim is under the authority of the Minister of Energy.
By becoming a government appointee, therefore, Mr. Ntim has effectively sold any chance that he would be able to objectively access any situation that comes up, particularly if the situation has the possibility of bringing him in conflict with the government and Opoku Prempeh as a Member of Parliament.
Mr. Ntim can however draw comfort from the fact that he is not alone in the sellout. The immediate past chairman of the party, Mr. Frederick (Freddie) Worsemao Armah Blay, has been the Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) since the inception of the government of the NPP.
Surely, however, the two do not have exclusivity when it comes to party chairman who sell their party’s authority over the government for a bowl of gruel. Virtually all the leading members of ruling political parties in Ghana jump onto the band wagon as board appointees when their governments come to power, thereby selling the party’s independence and control over the government the parties bring to power.
Yesterday Mr. Ntim was full of joy after he was sworn in, posting on his Facebook wall;
“Earlier today, Tuesday, 21 May, 2024, l took the oath of office as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
“In my acceptance speech, l indicated my readiness to marshall all my energy and years of experience in business and public service to help strengthen the regulatory framework and operational efficiencies of the Authority.
“I shall be guided by truth and integrity for the betterment of the petroleum downstream sector.
“God bless our homeland, Ghana.”
