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President Akufo-Addo congratulating Nana Otuo Siriboe after the swearing-in of the Council of State members. Nana Otuo Siriboe has since been elected Chairman of the council
President Akufo-Addo congratulating Nana Otuo Siriboe after the swearing-in of the Council of State members. Nana Otuo Siriboe has since been elected Chairman of the council

Break tradition of praise-singing. Prez urges Council of State

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday swore in the members of the Council of State, with a call on them to provide him with advice based on the truth, no matter how distasteful it might be.

He advised the members of the council to break the tradition of praise-singing and rather be forthright about situations, so that he could steer affairs of state towards growth, progress and prosperity.

“It will be easy to fall into the well-known temptation of telling the President what you think he wants to hear; it will be equally tempting to tell the President he is the best thing that ever happened to Ghana, and it will be even more tempting to tell the President to ignore his critics. I expect that this council will not walk this road.

“In our tradition of praise-singing and grand titling, it must be very tempting for a President to lapse into thinking that he is all-powerful and able to do whatever he wants. We have had the experience of Presidents being accorded long and very elaborate titles and being told that they are all-powerful and cannot be contradicted,” President Akufo-Addo said.

The Council of State is made up of 25 members, including the President of the National House of Chiefs, who is an ex-officio member.

Per the Constitution, the council is made up of 10 regional elected representatives and 14 others appointed by the President.

The President administered the oaths of Council of State Member, Secrecy and Allegiance to the members.

Forthrightness required

Making reference to an Akan proverb, the President said it was better to get the benefit of two or more opinions than rely on one viewpoint.

In the Ghanaian custom, therefore, he said, no matter how smart or how well-endowed leaders or chiefs were, they all had elders who advised them on a regular basis.

The council, the President said, was not an extension of the Executive and should not represent the President or his ministers of state at functions.

Rather, he said: “I look forward very much to working with a council that will offer me straightforward advice based on ungarnished truth. I look forward to working with a council that will help all of us deepen our democracy and I look forward to working with a council that will help us deliver a prosperous Ghana.”

Strength in diversity

He said the framers of the 1992 Constitution found it necessary to establish a Council of State to give impartial and objective advice to the President and added that it was important that regardless of their background, the members would discharge their duties dispassionately.

Luckily for him, President Nana Akufo-Addo said, members of the Council of State came from different backgrounds, with a wide range of competences and experiences.

He said if the diversity, competences and experiences of the council were properly harnessed, the advisory body would be able to effectively perform all of its important functions.

The President cautioned against any advice that would seek to undermine the independence of any of the other arms of government, especially the Judiciary.

Keep the government on its toes

He called for an intellectually vibrant and active council that would take its responsibilities seriously, keep its members well informed and keep government officials on their toes.

A member of the Council of State and Juabenhene, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, expressed his gratitude to the President for the honour done them to serve the country.

He said the council would work to address the lack of adequate public awareness of its functions by publishing annual reports of its activities to highlight its consultations with the Executive, the Legislature and other state departments.

Meanwhile,  Nana Otuo Siriboe II, the  Omanhene of the Juaben Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region, was yesterday unanimously elected as Chairman of the Seventh Council of State under the Fourth Republic at its maiden meeting.

The meeting took place at the Council of State’s office at the State House. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had earlier sworn the members of the Council into office at a ceremony at the State Banquet in Accra earlier in the day.

A communique issued at the end of the meeting said the unanimous election of Nana Otuo Siriboe, was as a result of his extensive experience in the areas of business, governance, and chieftaincy, coupled with the fact that he had previously served as a member of the Council of State for two terms from 2001 to 2009.

Nana Otuo Siriboe,  who holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, was enstooled as the paramount chief of the Juaben traditional area in 1971.

 

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