998 Pres staffers: ‘NPP engaged in shameless dishonest hypocrisy’ - Samson Lardy

Some members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) are being hypocritical with their justification of the 998 presidential staffers list released by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Private Legal Practitioner, Samson Lardy Anyenini, has said.

According to him, the NPP expressed misgivings about the 678 staffers employed by Former President John Dramani Mahama and so one would have thought that the Akufo-Addo-led administration would do things differently.

Mr Akufo-Addo has revealed that a total of 998 people work at the seat of government, the Jubilee House in Accra. He made the revelation in a list he presented to Parliament in compliance with Section 11 of the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463), which requires the President to submit annually to Parliament, a report on the staffing position of the Office of the President.

However, the list as released has created mixed reactions from a cross section of the Ghanaian public, with critics saying the figure will overburden the national purse.

Commenting on this development on his Facebook page, Mr Anyenini wrote: “The very many decent guys and intellectuals well deserving of their places in gov’t must tell those uninformed and hungry folks to shut up! Fine to abuse guys like us, it’s normal business. But it’s nauseating reading them abuse great and decent intellectuals and think tank leaders for sharing their views on this sinfully absurd 998.

“The internet doesn’t lie. Look up the stuff the NPP said about JM’s 678. What sickening shameless dishonest hypocrisy? Imagine what the NPP would have been doing on our radio and Tv if this 998 and 110 had happened in a different regime.

“Just imagine. Citizens must have a voice even if they don’t pay tax. Now show up here and write what you may if you think I have time for you. I have been sitting here in my office reading and reviewing court records in excess of 2000 pages in total.”