Leaders become great not because of their power, but their ability to empower others. – John Maxwell.
After several days of pursuing him, Naya’s column finally caught up with the National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Samuel Kwabena Awuku.
After an hour and thirty minutes of a fun filled and a well educative interview, it would be fair to describe Sammy Awuku as a selfless leader who is indeed passionate about his job and as a bonus to his amazing personality, he has a great sense of humour which is one of the key qualities of a good communicator and a conversationalist.
Sammy Awuku was born and raised in Koforidua in the Eastern region of Ghana in a family of seven (comprising of both parents and his four sisters). Before all the luxury and successes came to play, he was raised from a very humble beginning. In his words, “back in Koforidua I was raised from a very humble beginning; my family has had its fair share of life’s struggles. The routine in my family was such that when my sisters gained admission into the senior secondary school, I had to engage in petty trades. I sold water in the streets to help support my parents in order to help facilitate the payment of the fees. Being the last and only boy in my family, I must add that Growing up with four ladies was quite hectic because of the petty and unnecessary quarrels here and there but in all the bond and unity was still intact. All I read as a young boy growing up in Koforidua were news papers; I never read a single story book like what the everyday normal child would do. Whenever I was given some pocket money for school, I would only use a meager portion to buy lunch, specifically peanuts and water, and then the remainder would cover my regular purchase of newspapers because I was always curious and eager to know about the latest happenings in the world of politics.”
Samuel had his elementary and junior high education in Koforidua. He later switched regions when he gained admission into one of the reputable senior secondary schools in the central Region of Ghana, St Augustine’s college. He further enrolled at the nation’s premier university, The University of Ghana, as a member of the common wealth hall and an Agriculture science student. He is currently studying at the Freie University in Berlin for a master’s degree in International relations and in addition, he will be graduating next month from the University of London where he studied for a diploma in Law. Aside being a politician, he is also a business man and an entrepreneur. He is a board member of a cleaning company which according to him is doing quite well and also a supplier in general merchants.
When asked why he chose to join the NPP he answered “Growing up, I saw politics as a civil service and that attracted me and the NPP to me has been a party of birth. My grandfather, the late Adu Amankwah, served in the Busia regime as an ambassador and later as a regional minister with ex-president John Agyekum Kuffuor who was then the deputy minister of foreign affairs. All the colors I saw around me growing up were the red, white and blue and I was only surrounded by opposition newspapers; this however influenced my interest in politics. Also, the core values of the party went in hand with my personal values as compared to other parties which were also in existence. The New Patriotic Party represented free market, selflessness, Patriotism, justice and fairness for all so looking at someone like me whose weakest point is his meekness… what better party to be a part of than the NPP? The first time I saw ex-President John Agyekum Kuffuor the first question that crossed my mind was, ‘who is this frame of a man?’ and would continue to stare in admiration. Whenever he came to Koforidua on campaign trips, he would sometimes settle at my grandfather’s residence. He was mostly up by 4am every morning and I would always be available to clean his shoes and scout for water for him to bathe with because those were the times where Koforidua had its severe water crisis and to me that was an honor.”
He also commented on why he rejected the President’s offer to be a part of his team of designated ministers with the reason being that, “most people are leaving into government from the party head quarters leaving John Boadu and a few others to handle the major concerns of the people. So I thanked His Excellency and opted to stay behind to solidify the party, help minimize the burden, which would have otherwise been overwhelming for John Boadu and also prepare the wheels for another on-slot in 2020.”
Sammy Awuku loves to play tennis, enjoy a good comedic movie or watch his favorite Manchester United football team play at his leisure time. In response to who his favorite musician is he said, “obidipon bidi” representing Sarkodie; He went further to include, A-Plus, EL, R2bees, Shatta wale, Kwabena Kwabena and Daddy Lumba on his list of favorite artistes in Ghana.
He has been married for almost five (5) years to a beautiful young lady and together, they have two amazing daughters.
He made some very exciting comments about life in the secondary school and also about being a ‘Vandal’.
Kindly Click on the audio below to enjoy the full and detailed interview:
By: Nana Yaa Asabea// email: nayascolumn@gmail.com // facebook: nayascolumn // instagram: @naya_233.