Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, has accused the Northern Regional Chairman of her own party, Bugri Naabu, of promising people jobs he can’t provide in exchange for cows and goats and other goodies.
Otiko Djaba, speaking on a Tamale based radio station, was reacting to an incident on Friday where Bugri Naabu and his followers disrupted a meeting being held by Otiko and the NPP’s Northern Regional Women’s wing.
Bugri Naabu and his followers said the meeting being held at the Modern City Hotel was being held by Otiko without going through the proper channels in the region. She was also accused of giving out positions within the school feeding program to some women when such issues have to be handled by the party in the region.
The altercation between the two groups became almost physical and needed the intervention of police to calm things down.
Otiko, speaking to North Star radio after the incident, was in no mood to be conciliatory and instead levelled several allegations against Naabu.
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“[Bugri Naabu] came there to throw his weight around saying we are doing school feeding matters; but we didn’t come there because of school feeding matters… Apparently, he has decided that he is in charge of everything and that he is going to give the school feeding to a particular woman. I don’t know how a regional chairman can do that and because he has promised it is going to that woman, he thinks I will come in and [interfere].” she said.
“As we speak, nobody has been appointed for school feeding as the contracts of the persons currently employed were yet to end.
“I don’t know why Chairman Bugri wants to lie and use me as a cover-up for his problems. I want Chairman Bugri to understand. Whatever it is that is making him do the things he is doing; he should be very careful. I am the last person he wants to have trouble with.” she continued.
“…He should respect himself and stop lying about me. He cannot appoint school feeding people. He is not the only one in the region. He wants to be the one to appoint these people; for the Council of Elders and who and who.
“I want him to stop telling lies about me and to stop collecting people’s things and promising them jobs he cannot give. When he goes and does that, after he has collected their money and their cows and goats, then he will come and put the trouble on Otiko. Otiko will not accept it. If Bugri wants trouble from me then the trouble will come.” Otiko fired.