Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahen
• Nana Obiri Boahen says individuals should be held accountable for breaching the Covid-19 protocols
• He says there were also breaches at the Accra Sports Stadium during the match between Hearts and Great Olympics
• His comment comes on the back of criticism against the government over the non-adherence to the coronavirus protocols at Sir John’s funeral
Nana Obiri Boahen has referenced the match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Accra Great Olympics as a justification for the disregard to coronavirus protocols at the funeral of late former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John.
Per his logic, persons who are calling for the heads of the president and other appointees over the happenings at Sir John’s funeral should do the same for the breaches at the Accra Sports Stadium.
He stated that the laws on the non-adherence to the COVID-19 protocols are clear and that the police should prosecute those they captured not adhering to the protocols.
“If an individual flouts the protocols he should be held answerable. [On Sunday] Accra Hearts of Oak played Great Olympics. What happened? People trooped in, people broke the gate, why are we not also commenting about that on?”
“If some persons were seen to have violated the protocols, he said, they should be dealt with in accordance with law as individuals, but not to blame the organizers of the funeral,” he added.
Nana Obiri Boahen also defended the actions of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stressing that he obeyed the protocols.
“The president was there and he observed the COVID-19 protocols, the Vice President was there he observed the protocols, the Chief of Staff was there she observed the protocols, Nana Obiri Boahen was there the next day he observed the protocols. So if an individual fails to observe the COVID-19 protocols the individual must be held answerable.
In a separate interview on GhOne, the legal practitioner said that it was not within the purview of the organizers of the funeral to regulate the behaviors of mourners and sympathisers at the event.
“The point is if I’m organizing the funeral, how do you expect to count the number of people who will be attending the funeral. How can I do that? The laws are the so the individuals should be held accountable. How do you hold the president and NPP answerable,”.
The government has been widely condemned by some persons for being a party to an event that could become a super-spreader of the virus.
The Ghana Medical Association in a statement said “the memories of the catastrophic consequences of the surge in Covid-19 cases in January-February 2021 including that of many lives lost and the pressure our healthcare system came under during the surge is fresh on our minds,” the association of medical doctors and surgeons said in a statement issued and signed jointly by President Dr Frank Ankobea and General Secretary Dr Justice Yankson.
“The GMA condemns such activities that violate our protocols and has the tendency to reverse all the gains made in our fight against Covid-19.
“We call on the law enforcement agencies to investigate and deal with the organisers of this and any similar events to serve as a deterrent to others who intend to endanger the public health of our nation.”