Former Director of Public Affairs and External Relations at the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Nana Yaa Jantua, has detailed the circumstances that led to her retirement from the commission.
She revealed that she was pushed out of the PURC by certain forces within the Akufo-Addo administration.
In an interview with Oumaru Sanda Amadou Face to face upon Channel One TVJantua recounted his experience of being unfairly targeted with unfounded accusations, including allegations of arrogance, which ultimately led him to leave PURC.
“They fire you and you resign. They want to get rid of you and they make you do certain things to make you feel uncomfortable. I was cornered and then I jumped,” the former secretary-general of the People’s Congress Party (CPP) revealed.
When asked who threw her off the PURC ship, she said: “It was during the NPP so it was definitely them, government officials, using people in my office. I heard bits and pieces around that time that some people were saying I was arrogant, I mean, saying all sorts of very unfounded things that you can’t really pin down.”
Nana Yaa Jantua added that despite the frustrations and injustices she faced, her colleagues and government officials never doubted her professional competence or capabilities but recognised her expertise and dedication to her role.
“But they never said I was incompetent,” she said.
Nana Yaa Jantua revealed that her affiliation with the CPP was also a factor in her forced departure from the PURC, highlighting the irony that her political affiliation was used against her even though her appointment was not politically motivated.
“That’s why everyone is wondering why I was targeted, even though you’re not a political appointee.”
Nana Yaa Jantua strongly denied allegations that he was involved in partisan politics during his time at PURC, suggesting he may have been targeted because of his family’s political traditions.
She spoke poignantly of how her father and uncle were severely persecuted and nearly killed for their association with the Nkrumahist tradition, and suggested her departure may have been a form of political revenge.
“No, I was a CPP, of course I have always been a CPP. Maybe they were punishing me because of my father. My father was [Dr Kwame] Nkrumah was against it. [UP]He was among those who fought for the independence of this country and stood with Nkrumah.
“And because he was Ashanti, they never forgave him. It was actually from the Manya royal family and they were following Nkrumahist traditions so at one point they wanted to kill him and my uncle. Sometimes I thought in my mind maybe they were punishing me because of my father.”
Nana Yaa Jantua shared how hard she worked during her time at PURC.
She highlighted her dedication and hard work during her tenure at PURC and stressed her determination to contribute diligently to the organisation.
“I was a civil servant and I saw myself as someone who should be working for Ghana and the country, so my anti-UP stance was not very clear.
“I realized for myself that the Bible says that whatever work you’re given, do it as if you were serving God, and that’s exactly what I did.”
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