Thursday, 12th March, 2026
Hon Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie
Odododiodioo
Mr Speaker, with a heavy heart, I rise to thank you for the honour done me on behalf of the good people of Odododiodioo to read this Statement in memory of the late Hon Nii Okaija Adamafio.
Mr Speaker, the late Hon Nii Okaija Adamafio was a distinguished stateman, a legal practitioner who played a significant role in Ghana’s transition to the Fourth Republic. Renowned for his steadfast commitment to the then Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) and the National Democratic Congress, Hon Adamafio devoted over three decades of his life to public service. The late Hon Nii Okaija Adamafio was born in Accra on 5th October, 1945, to his late parents, Tawia Adamafio, a former Minister of State under Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s regime, and Caroline Adamafu, a trader. He was married and blessed with three children.
Mr Speaker, Hon Adamafio received his early education at the Government Boys School, Kinbu in Accra. When his family relocated to Osu in 1956, he continued his education at Salem Presbyterian Middle Boarding School. In 1959, he successfully passed the Common Entrance Examination and was admitted to Laboni Secondary School where he completed his secondary school in 1964. Demonstrating remarkable determination from an early age, Hon Adamafio worked during the day at the Ghana General Post Office in Accra while attending the Accra Workers College in the evening to further his studies. His perseverance yielded results when he successfully passed his advanced level examination in 1966, gaining admission to the University of Ghana, Legon where he studied Philosophy, Political Science, and History.
During his time at the university, he was affiliated with Commonwealth Hall and was actively involved in student politics. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970, he proceeded to teach in several institutions including Accra Polytechnic, now Accra Technical University, Laboni Secondary School, and Salem Secondary School. He also served as a clerical officer at the Ghana Post and Telecommunications Corporation. In pursuit of his long-standing interest in the legal profession, Hon Adamafio returned to the University of Ghana, Legon in 1972 to study Law. He completed his studies in 1975 and was awarded an LLB degree and subsequently proceeded to the Ghana School of Law at Makola. Upon completion of his professional training, he was called to the Bar in 1977.
Mr Speaker, after his call to the Bar, Hon Adamafio practised at Afroso Chambers with his father and took over as master of chambers following the retirement of his father in 1982. Renowned for his sharp intellect, commanding courtroom presence, Hon Adamafio earned a reputation as one of the most formidable criminal advocates of his time and a respected force within the legal profession.
Mr Speaker, in addition to making significant strides in his legal career, Hon Adamafio was a prominent and influential politician, playing a key role from the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) era until his passing. His contribution and leadership during this pivotal time were instrumental in shaping the political landscape. Within the PNDC, Hon Adamafio held several executive positions including the Greater Accra Regional Secretary, Coordinator for Revenue Commissioners, Acting Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, and Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior. He also held other positions during this era including Member of the Peace Council, Member of the Prisons Service Council, Chairman of the Greater Accra Coordinating Council, and Chairman of the Regional Security Committee.
In 1991, when the PNDC government announced a return to constitutional rule, Hon Nii Okaija Adamafio played a key role in the formation of the Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) Club, a social club that facilitated political mobilisation and included notable figures like the late Samuel Teiko Quarshie, Mr R. O. Akai Nettey, many of whom were of Ga origins.
The late Hon Adamafio was regarded as the link between the revolutionary foundations of the PNDC and the democratic principles of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He was respected for his discipline and ability to navigate political landscapes. As a stalwart, Hon Adamafio held several executive positions within the NDC including serving Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Caucus, Acting Chairman and National Vice Chairman of the NDC.
In these roles, Hon Adamafio mentored young politicians and actively participated in organising grassroots campaigns. Representing the Odododiodioo Constituency, a key political battleground in the heart of Accra, as a Member of Parliament from January 1997 to January 2001, Hon Adamafio was known for his sharp, often confrontational, but highly intellectual debating style.
His influence in the Ga-Mashie area made him a significant voice for the people of the capital. He was a vocal advocate for the development of Old Accra. He frequently pushed for urban renewal projects and the legal empowerment of local assemblies to manage Accra’s growing infrastructural needs. Hon Adamafio’s most famous speeches often centred on the Public Order Act. He famously defended the stance of the government on maintaining national stability during the early volatile years of the Fourth Republic, arguing that, “Liberty must be balanced with the collective peace of the Ga state and the nation”.
In recognition of his competence and experience, Hon Adamafio was appointed Minister for the Interior in February 1997 by His Excellency, the late former President John Jerry Rawlings. In this role, Hon Adamafio was responsible for national security, policing, and internal stability during the formative period of Ghana’s young democracy. He worked on modernising the Ghana Police Service. In his role as the Minister for the Interior, on 5th January, 2001, Hon Adamafio authored and signed critical executive orders, such as the Deportation (Revocation) Order, 2001 (E.I. 1), which handled high-profile matters of national sovereignty and legal status of foreign nationals within Ghana.
While Hon Adamafio had stepped back from the front line of active daily politics in recent years as a result of ill health, his counsel was frequently sought by some party leaders. While he is often remembered as a powerhouse within the NDC, his background as a legal practitioner and his legislative contributions provided a fuller picture of his impact on Ghanian statecraft and the development of the Ga state.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, as we mourn the passing of Hon Okaija Adamafio, we also recognise with sympathy and respect the weight of the loss on his family and loved ones. On behalf of the people of Odododiodioo, whom I have the privilege to serve, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family and all who were touched by his life and service.
May the soul of the late Nii Okaija Adamafio rest in perfect peace, and may his service continue to guide and inspire us. I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Bede Anwataazumo Ziedeng
Lawra
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to pay tribute to my very good Friend, the late Nii Okaija Adamafio.
Nii Okaija Adamafio was a lawyer and a politician. Indeed, he bounced onto the political scene during the era of the PNDC, when he was first appointed as the Secretary for the Interior. That was when I met him, and we related very well. Subsequently, he was appointed Coordinator for Tribunal as additional responsibility, and I continued to work with him.
Indeed, Mr Speaker, in the run-up to the 1992 elections, when political parties were being formed, Nii Okaija, as a political strategist, came up with the idea of the EGLE Club, and then we started operating, and in fact, I was part of the initial Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) club, and we started operating in the various regions. We worked hard, then the NDC won the 1992 elections and we were ushered into government. He was subsequently appointed as presidential staffer and he continued in that position until 1996 when he contested the Odododiodioo seat, won it and came into Parliament.
Mr Speaker, he did four years and unfortunately in the 2000 election, there was a tsunami and that tsunami affected him because that was the year in which we had in the NDC what we call the imposition of MPs. Parliamentary candidates had their names announced from the Castle and then there was so much uproar about it. The wind came and blew off as many as a hundred parliamentary candidates. That is how come the NDC went into opposition.
Mr Speaker, after the 2000 elections, the NDC had to reorganise itself and so as a result of the reorganisation, Hon Nii Okaidja Adamafio offered himself as a contestant for the national vicechairmanship. So, he stood and he won. I also stood as deputy general secretary and I also won. So, we worked together at the national headquarters and we were so effective that the Kufuor Government initially thought that they were going to have an easy ride, but by the end of 2004, they were so scared that the then Chief of Staff had to rush to the Castle to go and announce the results of the 2004 elections ahead of what the Electoral Commissioner would do. That is how much scare we put into them and I am saying that we worked very well.
Unfortunately, we did not win the 2004 elections and subsequently we had challenges, which is now history. But Nii Okaidja Adamafio continued to be my friend. We continued to relate and we related very well. In fact, when he fell sick, I visited him on his sickbed and had a discussion with him. We thought that he would recover and then come back. Unfortunately, that did not happen and today, we have to pay tribute to him for the loss of his life.
Mr Speaker, on this occasion, I would like to pay my respects to Nii Okaidja Adamfio and convey my condolences to the bereaved family, and in fact, to the NDC as a party and also to all his friends. We were friends and we all worked together. I must say that we have lost a great man. This was a great politician. He was a strategist. He was somebody who could think and let me add that, in fact, he provided—
Hon Jerry Ahmed Shaib
Weija-Gbawe
Mr Speaker, let me crave your indulgence to contribute to this Statement. As I do so, respectfully, if I am permitted, let me come under Order 63 and speak a bit of Ga to my Ga people.
Mr Speaker, with your permission, kɛ wɔ tsɛ, wɔ nuŋtsɔ etsɛ bo lɛ, yaawɔ ojogbaŋŋ; yaawɔ ojogbaŋŋ ejaakɛ, oha ni Ga maŋ mu le fɛɛ ena akɛ oba ni obasumɔ. Otsu nɔ ni sa, otsu nɔ ni wa. Ni ojwɛŋ maŋbii ahe. To wit, may his soul rest in perfect peace. When he had the opportunity to serve, he served well. He supported his Ga people and he helped them to build whatever opportunities they had to.
Mr Speaker, Nii Okaidja Adamafio was the indicator for the 2000 elections, like Hon Bede Ziedeng said. The moment he lost, we, the New Patriotic Party, were able to tell that we had won that election. He was a stalwart within the Ga politics, and he would teach that he came from the revolutionary era to the NDC era so he had all the features that were needed for him to show that he was in charge. Mr Speaker, he was also the Minister for the Interior, and he made us understand that power means power. He never joked with power.
Mr Speaker, he also had the opportunity of helping a lot of the Ga youth, especially the Ga-Mashie boys. Those who had the qualification to be recruited into the Police Service, he ensured that they got there. At that point, he was not thinking of taking GH₵220 from them. He never also gave them aptitude tests to write. He ensured that whatever was due them, he helped them to get there. Fortunately, today some of them have become senior officers in the Police Service and other security services. Today, if Nii Okaidja Adamafio is no more, when you go to the Lands Commission, he also served as the regional chair of the Lands Commission, and he put a lot of solid structures in place. To the extent that we would not find people taking government lands without reference to proper structures.
Mr Speaker, today we are here to say that a lot of Ga young men have taken a cue from Hon Nii Okaidja Adamafio, a very humble but straightforward person. He was also very strict. When I was growing as a young man, anytime I saw Nii Okaidja Adamfio coming, I found another route because one would never know what he could do to the person. We know that those times, most young men would be wearing their jeans down and they call it Otofista. One could do that in front of Nii Okaidja Adamafio. He was a strong disciplinarian and a stout party person. That was where he sometimes fell short, because for whatever it is worth, he wants to consider his party people largely.
But today, he is no more, and we from the Ga community have lost a mighty oak tree. A tree that we can forever say that he supported the Ga community, and we are still looking for a seeming replacement of Nii Okaidja Adamafio when it comes to strictness. Mr Speaker, may his soul rest in perfect peace.
Nii Okaidja Adamafio,nuumo ya wɔ ojogbaŋŋ,wɔ ojogbaŋŋ kɛ wɔ kpe ekone bɛɛ nitsɔɔ akɛ ekolɛ mi hu miye Minister for the Interior ni minkɛ bo mba ni wɔ gba sane tswa ni omanye abla wɔ. To wit, old man, rest well. The next time we meet, I would have been the Minister for the Interior coming to have a conversation with you. May good fortune come. Thank you.
Hon Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah
Ho West
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
As I contribute to the memory of the late Hon Nii Okaidja Adamafio, let me congratulate and commend my Brother, the MP for Odododiodioo for bringing this to the fore. When we were young, during the revolution time, the name we heard was Nii Okaidja Adamafio, a man who we all knew was one of the instrumentalities when it came to the revolution. He pioneered a lot of issues when it came to the Ga state, and no wonder he was made the Minister for the Interior when we came to the democratic rule.
Mr Speaker, I was young then, working with Architecture and Engineering Services Limited then, which is now AESL as a young quantity surveyor, and we were asked to give an estimate to the Minister for the Interior at that time, and I went there with my seniors to measure the place for the estimate.
Mr Speaker, that was the first time I met the late Nii Okaidja Adamafio. He was someone who liked laughing. For those who knew him, he was always smiling. There was no anger in him at all, unlike some people who carried themselves as leaders of this nation. In those days, as soon as we met some of them, the frown alone told us that they carried power. But this late Nii Okaidja Adamafio was a jovial person, smiling all the time.
Mr Speaker, going through my Colleague’s tribute, I realised that he has done very well to the extent that when he was even working in Accra, he decided to go back to school and attend the Accra Workers’ College, where he earned his A-level and decided to enrol himself at law school and became a lawyer, an astute lawyer in this country. Young people should learn from this that if they are unable to complete their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) level, that is not the end of life. They can be working while enrolling themselves in school so they can become what they want to be in life. The late Okaidja Adamafio became a lawyer, and I believe one of the reasons the late Jerry John Rawlings appointed him as, first of all, Greater Accra Secretary and later the Deputy and then Minister for the Interior was the fact that he went to school and became a lawyer in that era.
Today, we commiserate with the family, but also learn from the steps that he has left. The Ga state has lost a great man, the nation has lost a great man, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) fraternity has lost a great man, and all we can say is that may his soul rest in perfect peace. May the children and those that he has left behind remember that their father has paid his dues, he has played his role as a statesman in this country, and he has contributed his quota to the nation of Ghana.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
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