Nana Ato Arthur, Head of the Local Government Service
The Head of the Local Government Service, Nana Ato Arthur has described as false remarks by one of its staff members interdicted for engaging in party politics, Mr Roland Nsoh-Billa Abire that he filed his letter of resignation prior to his interdiction, ABC News can report.
Speaking on Accra based Neat FM Thursday Morning, Nana Arthur said contrary to Nsoh-Billa’s assertion that he had already resigned before he was served his interdiction letter, his investigation had revealed that he tendered his resignation letter only yesterday(Wednesday, September 4).
“It is not true that he had resigned before he was interdicted. That is a lie. I have spoken to our Regional Human Resource Officer and it has turned out that he submitted his resignation letter only yesterday, contrary to what he said,” he said.
He added that “but if he has resigned then we don’t have a problem with it because that is what we want our staff willing to engage active in politics to do.”
Roland Nsoh-Billa Abire, who is leaving the service to contest the New Patriotic Party Bolgatanga East parliamentary primary worked in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Assembly as an assistant district engineer.
He was interdicted alongside Alexander Hedidor, also from the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Assembly and Alhaji Maazu Abubakar who works with the Builsa South District Assembly.
In separate letters dated September 3, 2019, communicating the disciplinary action to the affected persons, Nana Arthur, who signed the letter, said their participation in the primaries breaches the neutrality clauses which are required of them.
”Your decision is in contravention of the Local Government Service Code of Conduct particularly, Canon (1): ‘the Principle of Anonymity and Permanence which states that ’Officers and staff of the Local Government Service shall serve the State with neutrality and anonymity in the national and local government process’,” excerpts of the letter read.
Reacting to his interdiction in an interview yesterday, Nsoh-Billa faulted the service for not conducting due diligence because “I had already resigned before I was served my interdiction letter.”
He said he was cognizant of the service’s directives against the meddling of its officers in party politics and thus, sent his resignation to the Navrongo Municipal Assembly in line with internal directives.
“As part of the service conditions, I realised that I was supposed to resign and I did tender my letter five clear days before the interdiction letter came in.”
“If they had done due diligence and asked at the respective assembly whether the guy had presented his letter, I think they would have received a positive response,” he said.
