NADMO Staff Call Off Strike Following The Suspension Of Upper West Minister

The staff of the Upper West Regional office of the National Disaster Management Organization [NADMO], have called off their day-old strike following the suspension of the Regional Minister, Alhaji Suleman Alhassan.

The workers on Thursday, declared an indefinite strike to protest the Minister's shielding of some New Patriotic Party (NPP) thugs who besieged their workplace on Wednesday evening, chased out their boss, and injured his personal assistant.

The staff said they would not resume work until the Minister ensured that the thugs were arrested and dealt with accordingly.

When Citi News visited the NADMO premises on Friday, the workers had returned to work and were going about their normal activities.

The NADMO’s Regional Public Relations Officer, Erica Sieyi, told Citi News that, they had returned to work upon the plea of their director.

“We are all at work doing our normal activities. We were called upon by our regional director to come to work so we are back.”

Some of the workers who spoke on condition of anonymity told Citi News they were satisfied with the Minister’s suspension, and demanded that the attackers be duly punished.

‘5 suspects in Police custody’
The Upper West Regional Police Command picked up five persons alleged to have masterminded the attack.

The five, according to Citi News sources at the Command, were sent to the police station by the suspended Upper West Regional Minister, Sulemana Alhassan, at about 1:00pm on Thursday, February 1, 2018.

This happened few hours before the Regional’s suspension was announced.

They are Bongaawmini Issahaku, Abdullah Hakim, Nuhu Suglo, Seidu Salifu and Osman Kamal, who is reported to be the leader of the group.

‘Youth attack NADMO office’
About 30 angry youth affiliated to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stormed NADMO’s office on Wednesday in an attempt to beat up all the staff.

In an attempt to break into the Regional Director's office, his aid prevented them for a short while, but they eventually overpowered him. Police were later called in to intervene in the situation but they were prevented from effecting any arrest by the Regional Minister.

Regional Minister suspended
President Akufo-Addo later on Thursday suspended the Regional Minister.

A statement from the presidency said the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Amidu Ishaq, will act in the stead of the suspended regional Minister pending the conclusion of an investigation of the incident, according to a statement from the Presidency.

The statement added that, “President Akufo-Addo reiterates his commitment to the application of the laws of the land, which must occur without fear or favour, affection or ill-will, and without recourse to the political or ethnic affiliations of any citizen of the land.”