Eric Edem Agbana, the Member of Parliament for Ketu North, has reacted to his colleague, the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, collapsing while delivering a speech at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
According to Edem Agbana, the Madina MP contacted him to represent him at the programme at GIMPA, but he told him he would not be available.
Edem Agbana explained that Sosu then indicated that, despite his busy schedule, he would try to attend because of the importance of engaging young people.
He wrote, “About a week ago today, I received a call from my friend and brother, Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu, asking me to represent our party at a programme at GIMPA on Thursday, 24th September.
I told him I would not be available because I was leaving town for the UN General Assembly. He quickly responded, “It is a very hectic week for me, but let me try and go because these are opportunities to engage young people, and our party and government must not be missing such platforms.”
I was therefore deeply disturbed when I saw the video of what happened at that very programme he had insisted on attending.
The truth is, sometimes we make sacrifices in public service that nobody sees”.
Parts of his post added, “It reminded me that public service demands sacrifice, but we must not become so consumed by the work that we forget the people who love us and depend on us.
Leaders are human beings too. We get tired. We get overwhelmed. We fall sick. We have families waiting for us at home”.
Meanwhile, Parliament of Ghana has disclosed that Francis-Xavier Sosu, the Member of Parliament for Madina, is in a stable condition after falling ill while delivering a presentation at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
According to Parliament, the MP received immediate assistance at the event before being transferred to a medical facility for further medical attention.
Read his full post below:
“Midnight musings!!!
About a week ago today, I received a call from my friend and brother, Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu, asking me to represent our party at a programme at GIMPA on Thursday, 24th September.
I told him I would not be available because I was leaving town for the UN General Assembly. He quickly responded, “It is a very hectic week for me, but let me try and go because these are opportunities to engage young people, and our party and government must not be missing such platforms.”
I was therefore deeply disturbed when I saw the video of what happened at that very programme he had insisted on attending.
The truth is, sometimes we make sacrifices in public service that nobody sees.
People complain that politicians do not pick their calls. What they often do not see is the other side of it: we receive hundreds of calls every single day. There is hardly a minute when my phone is not ringing. On top of the calls, thousands of messages come in daily.
Recently, I was in a four-hour meeting with my branch executives. I left my phone with one of them so I could concentrate on the meeting. When the meeting ended, he told me he had counted 65 missed calls in those four hours. He actually counted to the hearing of the entire meeting.
He was shocked.
But for many of us in public service, that is simply our daily reality.
Behind every missed call is often someone asking for help, someone with a problem, someone looking for an opportunity, someone seeking intervention or someone who simply wants to be heard. And because we genuinely want to serve, we keep pushing ourselves to respond to as many people as we can.
Sometimes, we push too far.
Recently, I almost lost my life because I was moving between meetings and commitments and did not make time to eat the entire day. By midnight, I was in severe pain. My wife sat beside me helplessly, in tears, and said something I will never forget:
“You are replaceable as a politician, but you are not replaceable as a husband and a father to our children.”
That statement touched me deeply.
It reminded me that public service demands sacrifice, but we must not become so consumed by the work that we forget the people who love us and depend on us.
Leaders are human beings too. We get tired. We get overwhelmed. We fall sick. We have families waiting for us at home.
Yet the calls keep coming. The messages keep coming. The meetings keep coming. The demands never really stop.
And sometimes, in our determination to serve everyone, we forget to take care of ourselves.
I am sharing this because I believe there is a lesson here for all of us.
Be patient with the people who serve you. A missed call does not always mean someone does not care. Sometimes, it simply means that at that very moment, there were 50, 100 or 200 other calls coming in too.
And to all of us in public service, we must also learn to pause.
Our constituents need us. Our parties need us. Our country needs us. But our families need us too — alive, healthy and present.
Francis, my brother, I was deeply saddened to see what happened. I know your commitment to public service, and I know the kind of person you are. You would probably still show up even when your body is asking you to stop.
Please rest and take care of yourself.
I wish you a speedy and complete recovery. My prayers are with you, your family and everyone who loves you.
We cannot pour from an empty cup. And sometimes, the greatest responsibility a leader can take is to know when to stop, rest and preserve the strength to continue serving”.
See the post below:
@ghnow_ Madina MP Francis-Xavier Sosu reportedly collapsed while addressing students at GIMPA on Thursday, September 24. His condition has not yet been independently confirmed. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – ADAAMAINA
@ghnow_ NPP Women’s Wing members chant, “Jane Naana, Free Salomey! Lordina, Free Salomey!” during their protest at the High Court. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
