The decision to honour Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo at this year’s Ghana Ministers Awards has continued to generate public debate, especially in the wake of recent flooding incidents in parts of the capital.

The recognition attracted criticism from some members of the public who questioned whether the minister deserved such an honour at a time when Accra continues to grapple with flooding and drainage challenges.

The controversy became so intense that the Presidency was compelled to distance itself from the awards, clarifying that it neither organised nor endorsed the event.

But speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express Business Edition on Monday, the Founder and Executive Chairman of Big Events Ghana, Prince Mackay, defended the decision.

He insists that the award was based on measurable performance within a clearly defined assessment period, not on public sentiment generated by recent events.

“Let me narrow it down to Linda Ocloo, whom all of you are interested in knowing about,” he said.

Prince Mackay stressed that the awards scheme had clearly stated the period under review before the selection process began.

“Let me underline, or let me mention the year under review for doing these awards. We stated categorically clear that the year under review was 2025 to May of 2026.”

According to him, the assessment focused strictly on work undertaken during that period and not on developments that occurred afterwards.

“So we look at the work that they have done within the space and not now or in June, when the rains are flooded, that we have this crisis that we are all complaining about, the fact that she has not done anything to deserve the award.”

He maintained that the organisers evaluated performance over the designated timeline and not based on public reactions triggered by recent flooding incidents.

“The timelines that we looked at for this award were within the period of January 2025 and May 2026,” he explained.

Prince Mackay argued that during that period, the Greater Accra Regional Minister demonstrated commitment to addressing some of the capital’s long-standing challenges.

“If you look at our honourable minister, Greater Accra Regional Minister, from day one, she has been engaging, making sure that she will light up Accra, making sure that those who have built on Ramsar sites should pull them down.”

He said the minister’s actions affected influential individuals who had encroached on protected areas, but she remained firm in enforcing the directives.

“These have stopped influential people who had built on such sites. But she was tough enough as a woman; she was so tough to ensure that she did what she had to do.”

Prince Mackay suggested that public perception of the minister’s performance had been shaped largely by the recent floods rather than by an assessment of her actions over the review period.

“Had they not been for the rains that just came, I'm not sure that the story will be as we are seeing it right now,” he stated.