Ghanaian deputy minister resigns over negative comment he made during a radio programme

Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo

William Quaido, Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, has resigned from President Nana Akufo-Addo’s 110 cabinet following a negative comment he made during a radio programme about the people in the Nothern part of the country.

He said “the Northern part of the country are very difficult to please” while answering a question during the radio programme, The Guardian reports.

One of the other ministers, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto was reportedly summoned to Parliament to explain why army worms were still massively destroying crops despite the huge sums of money the government had allocated to tackle the problem. Akoto was said to have told the Parliamentarians that his Ministry had completely tackled the problem.

But the following day, some farmers in the Northern Region came out publicly to say that the Minister was being economical with the truth and that the worms were still ravaging their crops.

When this was put to Quaido during the radio programme, his response was that the Northerners are extremely difficult to please, stressing that he stayed in that part of the country for 27 years so he knew what he was saying.

He, however, offered a public apology for the comment but the Minority in Parliament, some individuals and concerned Civil Society Organisation called for his resignation despite his apology.

Just four days before Quaido’s resignation, at the New Patriotic Party (Akufo-Addo’s party), the President had issued a stern warning that as the “captain of the boat”, he would not, under any circumstances allow any party members to “rock the boat” and advised his party members be mindful of their utterances.