Ghana President Elect Makes Fani-Kayode’s Ex-Wife Adviser

Ghanaian President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, has appointed Ms. Saratu Ata to serve as one of his aides ahead of his inauguration on Saturday.

The 53 year old Ata is a former wife of Nigerian politician, Femi Fani-Kayode and is amongst the three women out of a total 12 appointees so far named by Mr. Akufo-Addo, but the statement did not provide further details about her new role.

The two other women are Akosua Osei-Opare, Chief of Staff to the President, and Clara Tia, a presidential staffer.

Ms. Atta said that she is a graduate of the University of Warwick, UK, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and International Studies.

She worked as a Securities Trader at First Securities Discount House in Lagos, Nigeria from 1993 to 1997, and went on to establish her own security printing company in Lagos.

She is a member of the New Patriotic Party, one of the two major political parties in Ghana, and served as the party’s campaign secretary since 2008.

Saratu Ata married Mr. Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation, in 1987 and bore him a female child named Folake in the same year, they went their several ways  when Chief Fani-Kayode found a new wife, Yemisi Wada.

Femi Fani-Kayode, has hailed the appointment saying:

“I am very happy for her, She certainly deserves it because she’s been working with Akufo-Addo for so long and I am sure she will do a great job.”

 “Akufo-Addo is my good friend and a great man, I think that’s why they were able to remain focused after narrowly missing the Ghanaian presidency in 2008 and 2012.”

The Ghanaian president-elect emerged winner of the December 7, 2016 elections there, defeating incumbent John Mahama.

She is the daughter of the first civilian governor of Kwara State, Adamu Atta, who passed on in May 2014 at the age of 87