Isn’t it a personal matter? – NPP MP fights Sam George for asking GRA boss his age

The issue of whether the age of Ghana’s current Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Service Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, is a personal or a matter of public interest, became the issue of contention during a sitting of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday, January 29, 2023.

Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George raising concerns about the commissioner’s current employment status asked Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah his age.

However, the question by the minority MP was objected to by the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, Davis Opoku who defended that the age of the GRA boss is a personal issue.

His position was backed by the Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare who maintained that the matter was a personal matter.

The Chairman of the Committee, James Klutse Avedzi overruled the objection but the answer was interrupted by a technical hitch which affected the audio system in the room.

Following a long break, Rev Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah eventually answered the question admitting that he turned “62 in October 2023.”

On the issue of whether his current employment status was on contractual basis having obtained the 60 years retirement age, the GRA boss said "Mr Chairman, as far as I know, a letter was sent to the board for me to continue working until it is sorted out with the Ministry of Finance and the appointing authority."

Sam George who raised the issue described Dr Ammishadai’s employment as unconstitutional and therefore urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remedy the situation.

How old is the GRA Boss?

Confusion rocks Public Accounts Committee as Hon. Sam George asks of the age of Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah.#PublicAccounts pic.twitter.com/olD4modWWi

— GTV Ghana (@GTV_Ghana) January 29, 2024