Deputy Spokesperson for the Bawumia Campaign, Dr Ekua Amoakoh, has criticised the government for what she describes as misplaced priorities, questioning why cocoa farmers’ concerns remain unresolved while attention is focused on renaming the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).

Speaking on the AM Show on Joy News on Friday, 20 February, Dr Amoakoh said the opposition had a responsibility to amplify the concerns of cocoa farmers who have taken to the streets over unpaid sales.

“Yesterday I saw that some of them took to the streets with placards to demand what is due them. And as the opposition, I do believe that it is our duty to echo those voices and make sure that they are heard,” she said.

She argued that the government’s decision to rename the National Intelligence Bureau to BNI, at a time when farmers are demanding payment, was difficult to justify.

“So in the midst of all of that, when what seems to be the priority of this government is to change the name of NIB to BNI, it is almost laughable,” she stated.

Dr Amoakoh further raised concerns about the governance and accountability implications of the move, suggesting that it could sidestep parliamentary scrutiny.

“And to circumvent Parliament, because NIB is not any institution or just any arm of government. It’s not like the police or the army,” she argued.

“In the police, you go through the ranks. So even though you are appointed by the president, you would have been a police officer for at least 20 years before you get to the point of COP, before you are even considered to be an IG. It is understood that you would have that institutional memory.”

She contrasted that with the appointment of a National Security Coordinator.

“But in this issue of the national security coordinator, I don’t think there’s a criterion for the appointment. It’s whoever the president sees fit. And now we are creating a situation where Parliament does not have that opportunity to question that person.”

Dr Amoakoh acknowledged that the governing party currently has the numbers in Parliament to secure approvals but insisted that public vetting remains important.

“It is true that with the numbers that they have right now in Parliament, they can basically have anybody approved. That is true. But the people of Ghana get an opportunity when there’s a vetting. I’m pretty sure you remember the vetting of the current Deputy Minister of Communication.

“I found that one particularly interesting. He was asked, "I don’t want to repeat it, but I mean, everybody saw that. " That is the point of vetting.”

She stressed that parliamentary vetting offers citizens a chance to assess the competence and suitability of public officials.

“We get to, as normal Ghanaians, evaluate the people that are being put in these positions. Even if the situation is that we will not have a say, we get to see, you know, the weight of these people.”

Describing national security as one of the most critical sectors of the country, she questioned the government’s focus at a time when cocoa farmers are struggling.

“So now one of the most critical security positions of this country is the focus on NIB, when the cocoa farmers are hungry. There’s no way you haven’t been able to sit in a room to come up with a way to pay them what you promised them, or even 3,000 cedis.

“That is not the focus of the government. It is changing NIB to be BNI, really?”

Her comments come amid growing agitation among cocoa farmers over delayed payments, alongside an intensifying political debate surrounding the proposed renaming of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).