3 times Napo incurred the wrath of Ghanaians for making 'unpatriotic' comments

However, sometimes, their words could ignite fires of indignation rather than inspire hope.

Among the corridors of power, one figure stood out — Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a seasoned politician known for his sharp tongue and even sharper wit.

With tensions running high, Dr. Prempeh, then Minister of Education known for his penchant for controversial remarks, made a statement that sent shockwaves across the country.

SHS students should use rubber bags to defecate

The first instance occurred when Dr. Prempeh addressed the issue of the lack of toilets in some senior high schools under the Free SHS programme on November 30, 2017, and stated that students can use rubber bags to defecate.

Dr. Prempeh answering a question on the lack of toilet facilities in some schools under the Free SHS educational policy said "There are few schools still in Ghana here that are secondary schools that had no toilets; that is not the result of free SHS. So when you see students portraying that somebody says I do it in a rubber bag and I walk 45 minutes, at least you have the rubber bag."

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh Pulse Ghana

He also challenged political critics to name secondary schools that are congested because of the Free SHS education policy.

No budget for victims of Keta tidal waves

His second remark came when his comment was greeted with backlash in December 2021 over his reaction to the provision of funds to address the recent Keta tidal waves.

The Manhyia South Member of Parliament, affectionately known as 'Napo' made a controversial statement regarding the inclusion of allocations for victims of the Keta tidal waves in the 2022 Budget.

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh Pulse Ghana

He expressed the view that such allocations were unnecessary, citing similar challenges faced by his constituents in the past without government intervention.

Consequently, he saw no justification for the Finance Minister to allocate funds for the Keta tidal wave victims.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh went on to question the rationale behind the National Democratic Congress (NDC) advocating for government assistance for their stronghold to be included in the budget estimates.

Go and do your dumsor timetable if you want one — Napo

His third public sentiment comes after he refuted the suggestion that Ghana has returned to the days of power crisis popularly known as Dumsor.

He said the current power outages in the country cannot be classified as the dumsor that happened in the NDC administration.

Speaking at the inauguration of the NPP campaign team in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Opoku Prempeh assured the public that efforts are underway to address the challenges.

He, therefore, asked Ghanaians to do their own 'dumsor' timetable if they wanted one.

He told journalists over the weekend: “Ask those who want it to bring it, if there is. I haven't seen any timetable."

Backlash from Ghanaians

His remarks sparked widespread public criticism. Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, strongly rebuked Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh for his stance on allocating resources for the victims of the Keta tidal waves. Gyamfi labeled Napo's comments as insensitive, questioning how someone paid with taxpayers' money could make such statements.

Additionally, MP for Ketu South, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, condemned Napo's remarks on funding for addressing the recent Keta tidal waves, denouncing them as bigoted and tribalistic.

Edward Bawa, a member of Parliament's Mines and Energy Committee, voiced disappointment over Dr. Prempeh's comments regarding the necessity of a load-shedding timetable by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).