Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, has opened up about her childhood in an exclusive interview with Ghana Weekend, describing it as a life lived under “martial law” but not without pockets of joy.
Reflecting on her early years, the MP said she was raised by very strict parents. “When they say sit, you sit. When they say stand, you stand,” she recalled. “You go to school with everything packed; water, toffee, biscuit, rice. There was no excuse to buy anything, not even water.”
Her movements were closely monitored ,even after school, a car would pick her up immediately, leaving little room for socialising. But she remembers one moment that marked a turning point in her independence.
“One of the most exciting moments was when I told my parents not to let the car come for me anymore,” she said. “I wanted to come home on my own.”
The thrill of walking through the thick forest from Achimota Preparatory School to the station, mingling with classmates, and buying fried yam with ‘tsofi’ (turkey tail), remains one of her fondest memories.
“We’d gist, tease, chase each other,it was freedom. Better than being lonely in a car and lonely at home,” she said with a smile.
Despite the discipline, Naa Koryoo cherishes those rare moments of youthful adventure that gave her a taste of the world beyond strict routines.
