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Parliament yesterday approved the nomination of Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah as the Minister of Trade and Industry. However, some members of the Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) argued strongly that he was not worthy to be a minister of state because of his unsatisfactory answers to the controversial �Team B� statement when he appeared before the Appointments Committee. The NPP MP for Manhyia South, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, who is a member of the Appointments Committee, said the House should not approve the nominee because his �Team B� comments clearly showed that he could not be a team player. He said there was the likelihood that Spio-Garbrah would look down on his fellow ministers of state who were members of the government of the late President John Atta Mills�whom he described as �Team B�. Dr Opoku-Prempeh said the nominee�s demeanour at the vetting was full of arrogance and could imply that he would not serve the people of the country with humility. Statement Has Serious Implications The Minority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Okere, Dan Kwaku Botwe, observed that the nominee never saw anything wrong with his �Team B� statement which �has serious implications for the government� he was going to join and that when he was even coerced to retract and apologise for that unsavoury comment, he did that reluctantly. Dan Botwe said there were many competent members of the NDC, one of who could have been appointed as Minister of Trade and Industry instead of appointing Spio-Garbrah who had publicly despised his own party and also lied to the Appointments Committee on his �Team B� comment. Arrogance The Minority Leader, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, said even though the minister-designate distinguished himself well during the vetting and clearly indicated that he has the expertise to run the ministry, there were certain negative traits he exhibited which should not be glossed over. He said Ekwow Spio-Garbrah exhibited some kind of arrogance when he appeared before the Appointments Committee which could best be described as conceited. Mr Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said as a professional journalist, Spio�s answers to the �Team B� inquiry were pitiable. He said Spio lied about the fact that he entered secondary school at the age of nine and that investigations revealed that he was repeated at least twice in the basic school. The Minority Leader however, affirmed that he has confidence in Spio that he would deliver but must be very truthful in his dealings in the interest of the state. Export Development Fund The NPP MP for Tema East, Daniel Nii Titus Glover, advised the new minister to take a critical look at the Export Development Fund and ensure that it is used for the purpose for which it was established, since export holds the key to the growth of the economy. The NDC Members of Parliament for Wa West and Tamale South, Joseph Yieleh Chireh and Haruna Iddrisu respectively, supported the nominee and asked the House to approve of his nomination.