“Stop Treating Northern Postings as Punishment” — Governance Advocate Backs Greater Accra Minister’s Apology

A Corporate Affairs Officer and government communicator at TOR, Godwin Ayaba Mahama, has thrown his support behind Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo following public backlash over her controversial comments regarding transfers to Northern Ghana.

Speaking in an interview on Kessben Maakye show, Mahama said the Minister’s remarks were a “slip of tongue” and should not be interpreted as an intentional attack on the Northern Region.

According to him, the Minister “did not mention only the Northern Region,” but the public perception created from the comment unfortunately suggested that workers posted to the north were being punished.

“It is rather unfortunate that this mentality has existed for years, where workers transferred from their comfort zones see postings to the north as punishment,” he stressed.

Mahama argued that the controversy has reignited a long-standing national concern about how some public servants perceive postings to Northern Ghana.

“The mentality of sending employees to the north as punishment must stop. We should eradicate the notion that everybody transferred to the north is being punished,” he added.

He further appealed to northerners and the general public to forgive the Minister and move the conversation toward national unity and equal respect for all regions.

Touching on the controversial Power Distribution Services (PDS) issue, Mahama insisted that “facts are facts” and accused former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of attempting to distort the narrative surrounding the failed deal.

He claimed ECG lost the Compact II agreement due to cronyism and not because of any wrongdoing by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA).

According to him, there were 44 conditions attached to the agreement, with five being critical requirements.

He referenced reports indicating that Dr. Bawumia allegedly disagreed with replacing a bank guarantee with an insurance guarantee — a move MiDA reportedly rejected.

Mahama further alleged that investigations later revealed that whoever signed the guarantee lacked the legal authority to do so, resulting in the cancellation of the agreement.

“It turned out that the contract was fraudulently guaranteed,” he claimed.

He also mentioned Philip Ayensu, alleged to be a personal barber to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, insisting that all persons connected to the matter must be made to answer questions over the controversial deal.

“Bawumia made sure that a fraudulent guarantee was made and must be called to answer questions on this related matter,” he alleged.