The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, has strongly criticized members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament for their call to have Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang appear before the House. The request, made by NPP MPs, was for the Vice President to contribute to the debate on the 2025 Budget and Economic Policy, scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

Patrick Yaw Boamah, the MP for Okaikwei South, argued that Professor Opoku-Agyemang's extensive background in the education sector would bring valuable insights to the budget discussions. He emphasized the importance of her presence, stating, “The Business Committee has made allocations for ministers of state, leaving out the Vice President, who has been very quiet. It is important to see her in action on the floor to debate the President’s economic and financial policy, especially given her background as a former Minister of Education.” Boamah further added that as the first female Vice President, she is constitutionally permitted to participate in such debates and urged the Business Committee to amend the Business Paper to allocate time for her.

In response, Isaac Adongo dismissed the necessity of the Vice President's presence, drawing a comparison with the previous Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. Adongo pointed out that Dr. Bawumia rarely attended parliamentary sessions and, even when present, did not actively contribute to budget discussions. “A few weeks ago, they were sitting on this side of the House and were programming business. Did you program the Vice President then to appear in this House, or was he not entitled? Or do you assume that appearing here and nodding his head constituted participation?” Adongo questioned.

Adongo emphasized that the current Vice President is focused on crucial matters and will appear before the House when the time is appropriate. He stressed that unlike Dr. Bawumia, Professor Opoku-Agyemang intends to do more than just make a symbolic appearance. “Unfortunately, the Vice President has very important things to do. She doesn’t want to come and just nod her head. But if you say she has been very quiet, we cannot force you to listen to her. However, yesterday, I listened to her, and many other Ghanaians listened to her. You may choose not to hear her if she is in the chamber, but at the appropriate time, she will be here,” Adongo stated.

He reiterated that the current administration is taking a cue from Dr. Bawumia’s precedent of minimal parliamentary engagement. Adongo claimed, “He only appeared here to nod his head. We never heard him in the Hansard. The Hansard does not capture head nodding.”

Isaac Adongo’s comments were aired on GhanaWeb TV. Meanwhile, in other news, COP Tetteh Yohuno has been sworn in as the new Inspector General of Police (IGP).