Minister of State-designate for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has clarified the circumstances surrounding Naa Momo Lartey’s delayed arrival at her swearing-in ceremony as Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
Speaking on TV3, Kwakye Ofosu explained that Naa Momo Lartey faced a family emergency outside Accra, which delayed her arrival. He emphasized that criticism directed at her was unfair, as she made every effort to attend the ceremony despite the challenges.
He also noted that President John Dramani Mahama’s packed schedule, including a trip to Ho and preparations for a government-related business trip to Angola, Tanzania, and Kenya, influenced the timing of the ceremony. The President initially planned to swear in six ministers but had to proceed with the swearing-in of those whose approvals were ready due to delays in parliamentary processes.
While acknowledging the public’s demand for excellence, Kwakye Ofosu urged understanding, stating, “The Gender Minister was treated unfairly in some ways because the background story wasn’t known.”
“It became apparent that Parliament could not meet the deadline of approving others, so a decision had to be taken. We reached out to the six who had initially been approved and indicated that if they were close, they should come. Five of them said they were within the precincts of Parliament and would come to the Flagstaff House in about 10 minutes.”
“Naa Momo truthfully indicated that a family emergency had taken her out of Accra, and therefore it was going to be very close. We encouraged her to come nonetheless, and if she got there in time, she would be added. If for some reason, she could not make it in time, we would do it another time. So if you observe carefully, President Mahama was very specific in mentioning the names and giving them KPIs,” Ofosu stated.
He added that the President had prepared two alternative speeches to accommodate her potential absence.
Ofosu stressed that the Minister’s late arrival was not her fault and that she made a significant effort to attend the ceremony out of respect for the President.
He urged the public to consider the full context before passing judgment and assured that the Minister would be sworn in at the next available opportunity.
“It’s not that she was late. I know her very well. I can vouch for her. But as I said, we respect public sentiment. If the Ghanaian public had known this, I’m sure they would have tempered their criticism. But I must plead that it is not the doing of the Minister that it happened that way.
“In fact, she could have decided not to be there at all. It was out of respect for the President that she made an effort. I think she got in two minutes after the President had started, that’s all, and she really pushed it close. But it was not her fault,” he said.
