Dr. Mustapha Hamid
The Minister of Inner Cities and Zongo
Development, Dr. Mustapha Hamid, has disclosed that his decision to enter
politics was motivated by a strong desire of reuniting with his father who had
gone into exile under the regime of former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings
in the 1980s.
He explained that the only way his father, who
was an ex-service man and had not been seen by his family for 18 years, could
return to the country was through a change of the Rawlings government.
“My father was accused of trying to overthrow
the military government so he had to flee the country. So in 1991 when the ban
on multiparty politics was lifted, I decided to join politics in order to
specifically campaign against the authoritarian NDC government so my father
could return home,” he revealed.
The minister made the revelation when he interacted
with girls from some basic schools in Accra on Thursday.
The girls were beneficiaries of a mentorship
programme dubbed: “Zongo Girls Arise Project” held under the theme:
“Self Discovery”.
Dr Hamid urged the girls to nurture bigger
aspirations in life irrespective of their social or educational backgrounds, as
attaining greater heights in life was more dependent on dedication, discipline
and hard work.
The Board Chairman of the National Youth
Employment Agency (YEA), Sammi Awuku, for his part, disclosed that he developed interest in politics at a tender age. He would buy
newspapers while in primary school and would never miss a chance to see former President
Rawlings whenever he visited Koforidua.
“Even though I was born into an opposition
family at that time and my grandparents did not want to hear anything about Mr.
Rawlings, I had a personal liking for him,” he said.
In spite of studying Agric Science at the
senior high school level, Mr. Awuku said that he continued to draw inspiration
from political activists like Martin Luther King, among others.
He said the inspirations led him to transition
from campaigner to a spokesperson, then to an aspiring Student Representative
Council (SRC) president as a tertiary student who would later in life become a
National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party.
The Project Coordinator, Humu Gaage, encouraged
the girls to be bold enough to face socio-cultural obstacles that may hinder
their career aspirations.
She mentioned some of the obstacles as pressure
from relatives to pursue certain courses, enticement into early marriage and
teenage pregnancy.
“Don’t let anybody force you into doing
something you know you cannot do. If you are good at sewing take it seriously,”
she said.
Some schools that participated in the programme
were Al Waleed Basic School, Al Hijra School, Bethany Preparatory School, among
others.
By Issah Mohammed
