Gabby Otchere Darko defends Akufo-Addo’s government size

Private legal practitioner and leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has jumped to the defence of President Akufo-Addo over the size of his government.

Gabby Otchere-Darko, who was speaking on Thursday’s edition of Good Evening Ghana, explained that the President needed that large number in order to accomplish the needed results in the country.

President Akufo-Addo who began his term in office with 111 ministers, currently has 124 with the justification that the large number is needed to yield much result.

According to Mr Otchere-Darko, the huge numbers were in no way targeted at giving jobs to his people.

“I think that it is not as if he wanted to give jobs to the boys or girls, he did that because he felt he needed to do so, to have the political leadership that was required or is required to implement his vision,” he said.

The Private legal practitioner, recalled how the President had made him take out the phrase ‘lean government’ from a speech he (Gabby) wrote for him (Akufo-Addo).

He said the president argued that “you can say that in the UK, but I have been an Attorney General, BA (Brong Ahafo) we had two Lawyers, doing prosecution and you are telling me about a lean government? I don’t buy into this lean government; I buy into the personnel that are required to undertake a project”.

He further made reference to the fact that Ghanaians should rather look at the bigger picture and buy into the vision of the President by understanding him rather than criticizing him for the large number of ministers he has chosen to work with.

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko said it is only fair for Ghanaians to judge the president in 2020 when his vision has been implemented across the country and has improved the living condition of individuals.

“Every personnel or office created is part of his bigger vision and I think we should look at it from that point of view and we still have time, say October 2020, take out your pen and your paper and begin marking him,” he suggested.