What Precisely Are The Cynical Freddie Blays And Ernest Owusu-Bempahs Bringing To The Table At The GNPC And GNGC Respectively?

A couple of appointments to two key state-owned energy sector entities were announced by the presidency a few days ago.

Unfortunately, those rather hard-to-fathom appointments illustrate perfectly how our nation's ruling elites seldom learn the lessons of history.

Those odd appointments  show clearly that the nation-wrecking,  pork-barrel-politics that results in the dreaful square-pegs-in-round-holes appointments that are ruining so many  state-owned enterprises, is indeed alive and well even in the Ghana of today. Pity.

The question is: Do those now governing our  nation not realise that the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the Ghana National Gas Company Limited (GNGC) - the GNPC's wholly-owned subsidiary - are important  state-owned energy sector businesses that could play key roles in the transformation of our country?

Yet, Freddie Blay, a cynical and partisan politician of the very worst kind, has just been appointed chairperson of the GNPC - when what the GNPC needs at this particular juncture in  its history is world-class leadership that is apolitical and nationalistic. Incredible.

These  jobs-for-the-boys appointments are as bad for Mother Ghana as the appointment of the amoral and provincial-minded John Owusu Afriyie to head the Forestry Commission.

This blog is pretty sure that there are many discerning and fair-minded Ghanaians still scratching their heads trying to figure out precisely what Ernest Owusu-Bempah is bringing to the table at the GNGC - as its newly-appointed corporate affairs manager. Amazing.

Incidentally,  I have been skeptical of the loquacious and boorish Ernest Owusu-Bempah ever since he seemed to imply (years ago) that he used to interview UK government ministers on radio whiles living in the UK. Pure nonsense on bamboo stilts, of course.

That astonishing Walter-Mittyish-claim was made by Ernest Owusu- Bempah, during a current affairs discussion  programme he was taking part in, at the studios of an Accra radio station (Hot FM if my memory serves me right).

It was such a preposterous claim for him to make. Question there is: What sane British government minister would waste precious time fielding questions  in an interview with a vacuous character like him?

(And to think the aphasic - when it comes to  the English language - Bishop Owusu-Bempah thinks we should celebrate such dubious people: as if we all worship at the alter of the cult-of-the-mediocre like that Gregoire Rasputin-type nutcase of a power-hungry, prophesying preacherman obviously does. It would appear that in making those two baffling appointments it  escaped  the appointing authority that as a people if we are to transform this country successfuly,  we ought to have a vertically integrated national oil company.

Such a vertically integrated national oil company will ensure  that its subsdiary  GOIL becomes a giant in west Africa - selling TOR's refined petroleum products in GOIL-branded petrol filling stations across the sub-region: earning stellar profits and paying dividends regularly out of which government funds its free senior high school education initiative from.

The vertical integration of the GNPC can be achieved by merging the company with the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL), the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST), and the Tema Oil Refinery Limited (TOR).

With respect, what earth-shattering ideas  and corporate good governance principles can those two cynical and partisan individuals, Freddie Blay and Ernest Owusu-Bempah, contribute to the two state-owned energy sector entities that  they have been appointed to?

And what innovative ideas  are the pair of them bringing on board at the GNPC and GNGC, which will enable that crucial vertical integration objective to come to fruition during President Akufo-Addo's tenure - so that regardless of how low oil prices fall, the vertically integrated GNPC will always produce profits and pay dividends that will fund the free senior high school policy of the president? The answer? Zilch. A.nd so OccupyGhana, "Over to you, Joe Lartey!" We rest our case.