If Mahama was a serious president, he would have appointed a national security minister first – Walewale MP

If Mahama was a serious president, he would have appointed a national security minister first – Walewale MP

The Member of Parliament for Walewale Dr. Tia Abdul-Kabiru Mahama

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Walewale and former aide of ex-Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr. Tia Abdul-Kabiru Mahama, has criticised the ministerial appointment nominations made by President John Dramani Mahama so far.

Speaking in an interview on Starr FM on January 16, 2025, Dr. Tia Mahama indicated that the nature of nominations made by the president, including the nomination of regional ministers, shows he is not a serious president.

He added that if Mahama were a serious president, the first appointment nomination he would have made would be that of the Minister of National Security to ensure the nation is safe, followed by appointments into important sectors of the economy like roads and transportation.

“I think that the president is not even serious… How many days did he say he was going to use to appoint his ministers? Let’s even say that he has two weeks more and he’s giving us these ‘tot, tot’ appointments. If he was a serious president, mindful of national interest, he would have appointed a national security minister first.

“Because your duty as a president is to safeguard the nation. He has given us about 10 regional ministers. What would the regional ministers do? What is happening in the region? Are the regional coordinating councils not able to manage affairs? You think that regional ministers are the most important?” he queried.

He added, “You’ve left out the national security minister. You’ve left out issues about the Interior Ministry. You’ve not dealt with issues about roads and transportation. These are the real sectors that will drive the economy. You are going to talk about regional ministers, that doesn’t show seriousness.”

It is instructive to note that the Minister of National Security was one of the ministries scrapped by President Mahama.

Also, Mahama on January 4, 2025, before his swearing-in into office, set up a six-member National Security Coordinating Team to manage and oversee national security matters pending substantive appointments to key positions.

On January 15, 2025, the president subsequently made four key National Security appointments, including the appointment of former Chief of Staff Prosper Douglas Bani as National Security Advisor and COP Nathan Kofi Boakye (rtd.) as Director of Operations at the Presidency.

He also appointed Charles Kipo, a seasoned operative within the state’s internal investigations body, as Director General of the National Intelligence Bureau and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Abdul-Osman Razak as National Security Coordinator.