John Boadu Speaks at NPP Massachusetts Inaugural Dinner Dance

Exquisite food, good company, and great personalities.All these words and more can be used to described the 1st annual Inaugural and Fundraising dinner dance that was held last Saturday in Worcester, Massachusetts.The much anticipated event came on as expected and was an absolute success. It took place at the Coral Seafood Restaurant in Worcester, MA on Saturday, May 5th 2012. Mr. John Boadu, a Deputy Communications Director of NPP, was the special guest speaker for the night. Nana Kwaku Agyei Yeboah, NPP – USA National Chairman was also there to patronize the event in addition to Mr. Prince Danquah, brother of William Ofori-Attah and his daughter were also in attendance.

The chairman for the event was Mr. Ben K. Mensah, C.E.O of Tax Express Inc. In his speech, Mr. Mensah touched on the need for Ghanaians abroad to strengthen their ties back home, and also encouraged them to do everything in their power to start up their own businesses.

The NPP – USA National Chairman, Mr. Agyei Yeboah commended the new chapter for putting together such a wonderful event. In addressing the audience, Mr. Agyei Yeboah touched on the ever growing NPP – USA branch. “I am proud to report that The State of NPP-USA is strong, vibrant and growing. Currently we have 19 solid chapters, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, Chicago, Columbus ,Cincinnati, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Reno Nevada, California, Minnesota and Tennessee. I challenge the new Massachusetts chapter to encourage its neighbor, Rhode Island to become the twentieth chapter of NPP-USA before active campaigning for the 2012 elections begins.”

As part of the ceremony, the newly elected executives of the chapter were sworn into office by the national chairman. The newly elected chairman of the chapter, Mr. Collins Nuamah, promised that his chapter will do its best to promote the good name of NPP in the state of Massachusetts.

Upon arrival, Mr. Boadu worked religiously in ensuring the success of the event. He was not solely here for the inauguration, but on a listening tour as well. He often spent his afternoons at Anokyekrom where he interacted and listened to the concerns of Ghanaians abroad. He spoke at three different radio stations prior to the event and visited almost all the Ghanaian owned businesses. He also worshipped with the New England Ghanaian SDA Church on Saturday, then with Lighthouse Chapel on Sunday.

His entrance was met with cheers and smiles from the audience. Most people came to the event to see the very soft spoken voice behind the radio set and indeed they were not disappointed. Mr. Boadu delivered perhaps one of his best speeches ever.

One could summarize Mr. Boadu's speech into three major categories: Ghana under PNDC/NDC, Ghana under NPP and Ghana under NDC. He sought not to just criticize the opposition but rather he analyzed all three regimes. Supported by empirical evidence, he provided reasonable explanations as to why if given the chance, Ghana under NPP rule would excel far better than NDC. He touched on the need for free education, free healthcare and the need to transform the nation's economy. To quote him, “A society that aims at transforming its economy, modernization of agriculture, industrialization and adding value to its new found resources needs a well educated, motivated and dynamic workforce to propel the society into a level where none is deprived of the opportunity to maximize his/her potential . A Ghana where the safety and security of all is assured and a Ghana where its citizens can compete globally and a Ghana where access to health,education,clothing and shelter would not be a luxury reserved for the privileged few.”

After Mr. Boadu's speech, the floor was opened for the audience to ask questions. Some of the questions that arose was in regards to the export/import issues and about ROPA, a policy set up by NPP to allow Ghanaians abroad to vote during elections. With his response, he encouraged Ghanaians abroad to become more active in politics, show more interest and also voice their concerns to the party chairman.

For more information or if you are interested in joining the vibrant chapter, please call the PRO of the chapter, Kofi Tonto at 774-2421869. On behalf of Newspitter, we wish John Boadu a safe trip back home and also a peaceful election in the upcoming months. See below for the entire speech.