By Alhaji Iddi Muhayu-Deen
Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye (aka Nana-B) was elected as the NPP’s National Youth Organizer at the party’s 2018 National Delegates Conference taking over from the then outgoing Youth Organizer, Sammi Awuku. Prior to his election as the National Youth Organizer, Nana-B had served the NPP National Youth Wing in various capacities with impeccable distinction culminating in his infectious popularity amongst the rank and file of the party particularly the youth.
This notwithstanding, he campaigned vigorously as though he was relatively an unknown candidate, because to him, nothing was automatic in the NPP, and so, he needed to justify why he was the PERFECT REPLACEMENT for the then exiting Sammi Awuku. Consistent with his belief in the Almighty, Nana-B anchored his campaign on the slogan, NYAME NSA WOMU, which was well popularized at the time and had become synonymous with his name.
Following his emphatic endorsement as the National Youth Organizer, Nana-B had, at all material times, been guided by the mandate that had been reposed in him by the party delegates, and had done creditably well in vindicating that confidence. At the heart of this mandate was for him to galvanize the youth of the party and the country at large to vote for the NPP in the 2020 general elections in order to secure an emphatic one-touch victory for the party.
How did he achieve that? In other words, what are the legacies of Nana-B as National Youth Organizer? To start with, Nana-B instituted, for the first time, “THE YOUTH-MUST-KNOW-SERIES”, which provided the National Youth Organizer the platform to constantly explain youth-related government policies and programmes to the youth of this country in order to justify why they should renew the mandate of the NPP government.
Again, Nana-B, for the first time, instituted an Annual National TESCON Conference, and also organized workshops/orientations for TESCON executives in all the over 89 public and private tertiary institutions across the country to adequately prepare them ahead of the December 2020 polls.
It is also worth mentioning that Nana-B as National Youth Organizer was able to unite the NPP youth front with his all-inclusive leadership and infectious humility. He didn’t care whether you supported him or not. He gave you what you were deserving of as a member of the party. He created a job centre at his office, which vehicle he had been using to move from one government agency to another to look for available job opportunities for party grassroots.
Again, another fact that is incontestable is that, Nana-B as National Youth Organizer of the NPP, has been at the forefront of facilitating the securing of travel opportunities (abroad) as well as educational scholarships to the youth of the party and beyond.
Furthermore, in the 2020 campaign, Nana-B’s instrumental role in galvanizing the support of the country’s youth for the NPP cannot be overemphasized. Though, per the NPP 2020 campaign structure, Nana-B was not an integral member of the national campaign nucleus, he did exceptionally well in his capacity as the Youth Leader in crisscrossing every nook and cranny of this country to canvass for votes for the NPP.
The National Youth campaign team which Nana-B put together visited every constituency in the country on a number of occasions, and supported the various regional and constituency youth campaign teams with the needed logistics to enhance their campaign activities. Ultimately, all of these helped the NPP and President Akufo-Addo to secure an emphatic one-touch victory at the polls.
Nana-B as a lawyer, also proves to be an excellent communicator; a fact, which has been acknowledged by H.E. President Akufo-Addo, whereupon he appointed him [Nana-B] to be one of his spokespersons in the ongoing 2020 elections petition at the Supreme Court. Pursuant to this, Nana-B has, on each sitting day, consistently demystified and explained what transpired in court to the ordinary man with his usual UPDATES and subsequent media interviews. So, as we speak, in Nana-B, the NPP does not only have a National Youth Organizer but also a lawyer, a communicator and a political strategist among others.
Finally, having delivered on his mandate as National Youth Organizer beyond distinction, my understanding is that, Nana-B now intends to move a notch-higher to aspire for the position of National Organizer of the NPP in the next delegates conference scheduled for 2022. His tried and tested leadership acumen and manifest experience would indeed be critical for the NPP going into 2024 in order to enhance the party’s resolve to break the 8-year cycle.
Instructively, Nana-B is seeking to replace the man he had replaced in 2018 as National Youth Organizer, the multiple award-winning Sammi Awuku. And I dare say that, there is every indication that, just as he proved to be the PERFECT REPLACEMENT for Sammi Awuku as National Youth Organizer, he [Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye] would again prove to be a PERFECT REPLACEMENT for Sammi Awuku as the next National Organizer of the Party. That is why the NYAME NSA WOMU RELOADED has hit town with grandeur. If you can’t beat him, JOIN him.
Assalamu alaikum
Alhaji Iddi Muhayu-Deen is an NPP Youth Activist / Columnist
