Fire Service transfer: Avoka in hot waters?

Following the publication in our Wednesday, 19th August 2009 edition, under the banner headline "TUG OF WAR AT FIRE SERVICE", the Interior Minister, Cletus Avoka and the Chief Fire officer Brown Aquaye have come under barrage of lampoons and criticisms from the officers of the fire service for allegedly halting the transfer for fire service personnel in the name of President Mills.

The New Weekend Crusading Guide reports that no order had emanated from the castle and that President Atta Mills had nothing to do with the halting of those transfer of officers.

"I am surprised at the Minister and the Chief Fire Officer's utterances. If Professor Mills wants to give away such directives, he'll explain the reason why. Let them prove and show any paper which came from the castle halting the transfer of officers. I am not surprised the Minister and the Chief Fire Officer are now silent about the matter. Let them speak if they are men with balls", the paper’s source within the castle said.

"Of late, people have been doing all sorts of things with the President's name. Nobody should feel we are not aware of this. We are and would take action on it soon. Those doing it should be ashamed of themselves; they are devaluing the essence of the high office. Our government is in power to serve Ghanaians and we are not interested in trampling upon the rights of the people we are meant to serve. Party members should especially refrain from the abuse of the trust Ghanaians have given us," our Castle sources told this paper.

Meanwhile, reports reaching the paper as at the time of going to press Thursday indicated that work at the Fire Service was at a standstill as officers did not know whether the said directive was from the president or a scheme by the Minister and Chief Fire officer.

Workers looked very confused and seemed not to know what to do.

“We are surprised that our authorities are misleading us this way• I have submitted my handing over notes only for this tricks to spoil my day,” said an angry officer.

However, the paper said attempts to reach the Chief Fire Officer proved futile.

More so, a letter written to the Interior Minister for his reaction to its earlier story drew a blank.

A portion of the letter dated 20th August this year with the reference number 0043 and signed by the paper’s reporter reads: "I came to see you concerning a directive that has been given, allegedly by you to the Ghana National Fire Service to stop all transfers on the instruction of President Mills. Our checks at the castle indicate that, the President did not say that, can you please elaborate on that? We have been calling your line for the past three days, but to no avail. We are keen, as you saw in our last publication, in knowing what your side of the story is".