Accra, Aug 24, GNA – Citizens from the Upper West Region in the Accra- Tema Metropolis, have honoured Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, with a citation in recognition of his diverse achievements and dedicated service to Ghana.
“In recognition of your diverse achievements and dedicated services to Mother Ghana, we representatives of Upper West Citizens, Resident in the Accra-Tema area present to you this citation,” the citizens said in the citation, adding, “Congratulations!”
The residents, made up of indigenes-Dagaba, Walis, Lobis- and others, togther with prominent citizens as Supreme Court Judge Justice Yoni Kulendi, Elder Statesman Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Dr Abdul Rashid Pelpuo, MP for Wa Central, visited the Speaker at his residence, in Accra, where they praised Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic for offering more than 28 years of uninterrupted service to the Constituency, the Region and Ghana.
“You were elected as Speaker of Parliament on the 7th January, 2021 after long and distinguished career which ended on 6th January 2021.
“You had served as Member of Parliament for Nadowli Kaleo Constituency for a continuous period of twenty-eight (28) years, Seven terms, thereby making you the longest serving ever Member of Parliament (MP) in the Fourth Republic,” the citation read.
The Citizens recognised the Speaker for his long distinguished service, which made him a “recipient of the Millennium Excellence Award this year as Member of Parliament of the Decade.”
Speaker Bagbin was also hailed for his mentorship role which the citation noted that for his “decision to step down to make way for another person to offer his services to your constituents,” he “would have easily won the Parliamentary elections again” his popularity was still high in the Constituency.
“As a leader, you were minded to groom somebody to take over from you.
“It added: “By virtue of your rich experience in parliamentary work, diligent , hard work and affable nature, you were elected Second Deputy Speaker of the 7th Parliament which went a long way in helping to equip you to assume the ultimate position as Speaker when you were elected.”
The citation acknowledged that during the long career of Speaker Bagbin as Member of Parliament, he “occupied several distinguished positions in the Governance architecture of the country.”
It said further: “You served as Minority Leader in Parliament for eight years, from January 2001 to January 2009. You proceeded to serve as Majority Leader from January 2009, a position you occupied with dignity and distinction.
“You served as Minister for Works and Housing and later Minister of Health, which positions further opened you horizon to assume higher responsibilities in subsequent years.
“At the Constituency and Regional levels, your name continues to be a household name. This stems mainly from your humility and affability. You are well disposed to listening to the concerns of people from the region and taking steps to address them.
“Your constituents and citizens of the Upper West Region are proud of your unique achievements as the first person of Northern extraction to ascend the position of Speaker of Parliament.”
As Abdul Hayi Moomen and Nuong Faalong, both Broadcast Journalists, jointly finished reading the citation, the premise sounded “hosa hosa hoe” afrobeat recorded rendition of “The Warrior” song of the defunct Osibisa, a Ghanaian-English Afro Rock band, amidst applause by the celebrants.
The Speaker was then decorated with a beautiful Ghanaian Northern smock.
Elated Speaker Bagbin, in a speech, urged the people of the Upper West Region to be more united to ensure that nothing would mar the peace and development of the region.
Unity, the Speaker said would provide a common platform to mutually project the region’s strategic interest higher, as he explained that “divisive politics was only but a recipe for the backwardness.”
Speaker Bagbin stressed the need for unity of purpose in diagnosing the critical issues of the region for workable solutions.
Mr Anthony Sumah, the current MP for Nadowli Kaleo, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on his impressions about the honour, said the recognition of Speaker Bagbin’s role in Ghanaian politics and democratic governance in the Fourth Republic was an honour to the whole of the Upper West Region.
“We’re celebrating the Upper West Region through the Speaker of Parliament. His assumption to the high office of Speaker is a testament of his contribution to parliamentary practice and democratic governance,” Mr Sumah said.
At the ceremony was Mr Saanbaye Kangbaree, the Upper West Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party, and MPs from both the NPP and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
GNA