Posted: Daily Guide |Wednesday, 02 February 2011
www.dailyguideghana.com
Charles Takyi-Boadu
The controversial Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa in the Central Region, PC Appiah-Ofori thinks the selection of Dr Tony Aidoo to serve on the Africa Union (AU) 11-member Advisory Board on Corruption is of no use because he has no track record in fighting corruption.
Appiah-Ofori said, “If the Board is a board established to insult people then Tony Aidoo is the right one to represent Ghanaians because his area is insulting people.”
Speaking on the appointment of Tony Aiddo on various networks in Accra yesterday, Mr. Appiah-Ofori, an avowed anti-corruption campaigner, said he does not know what contribution Dr Aidoo, who heads the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at the Office of the President, at the Osu Castle, would make on the AU Board, since according to him, he is not known in the fight against corruption.
“I don’t know who nominated him, and whoever nominated him didn’t know what he was doing… So I don’t think he is going to be of use to the nation or to the African organization,” he said.
He was therefore of the firm conviction that Dr Aidoo’s appointment is one of those numerous political jobs since “they could have gotten a better person to replace him if they did a thorough search among even members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)”.
In one of the interviews, Mr. Appiah-Ofori, who was speaking his local Fanti language, was compelled to ask rhetorically, “Enti onipa a otse sayi wode saa position yi ma no na oko international level a experience ben na ofi ne man mu ha a ode ko join won na wode aye adwuma?” to wit, if you nominate a person like this for such a position, what experience would he bring on board at the international level?
“If the person going to serve on that Board hasn’t got the experience in the fight against corruption, then he goes there for nothing”, he said, stating emphatically, “He hasn’t got the know-how, the experience and the skill. He is not going to be of use to Africa in this area. This is what I am saying.”
This, he said, is because “members of the Board must bring their experience in the fight against corruption in their various countries so that such a Board may absorb them and recommend to all countries for implementation.”
Dr Tony Aidoo, who is expected to serve a renewable two-year term of office, together with 10 others appointed from other countries in Africa, has since hit back at Mr. Appiah Ofori, describing his comments as a show of petty-mindedness.
An obviously bruised Tony Aidoo asked the MP what he has done in practical sense to fight corruption in Ghana and what his efforts have amounted to.
He teased the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa legislator, by indicating his preparedness to step aside for him to occupy the position, as well as his post at the Presidency, together with his full salary.
But Mr. Appiah-Ofori declined the offer, indicating that he has no interest in anything Tony Aidoo has.
“…who are you? Such a loud-mouthed talker… I have given you the opportunity to come for the job. Come and take it,” Tony Aidoo fumed.
He continued: “I will never behave like you did, go and stand in public and say that my wife has gonorrhea; you see, wo nbu wo ho ([you don’t respect yourself) and you want to be recognised as a respectable person…”