Minority blasts Akufo-Addo

Minority in Parliament has criticised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for undermining the public service, by appointing the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Gas Company.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs at a press conference in Accra yesterday said the right thing to do was to allow the structures within the Ghana National Gas Company and the Public Service to work.

The presidency appointed a politician and Communications Director of the opposition party, National Democratic Party (NDP), Ernest Owusu Bempah, as the new Director of Communications for the Ghana National Gas Company in May 2017.

The appointment, which took immediate effect, resulted in the sacking of Alfred Ogbamey, who was appointed in 2011 to that position.

The Minority, led by Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, maintained that the appointment undermines meritocracy within the public service.

“If the President is dismissing PROs, then very soon he will be dismissing messengers and cleaners,” the minority leader jokingly said.

He pointed out that the position was one that the president could have delegated his appointing power to a lesser authority such as the board of Ghana National Gas Company as envisaged by Article 195.

Article 195 states; (1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the power to appoint persons to hold or to act in an office in the public service shall vest in the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the governing council of the service concerned given in consultation with the Public Services Commission.

(2) The President may, subject to such conditions as he may think fit, delegate some of his functions under this article by directions in writing to the governing council concerned or to a committee of the council or to any member of that governing council or to any public officer.

Mr. Iddrisu criticised the president for failing to institute boards of not only the Ghana National Gas Company but several other public institutions such as the polytechnics and the Public Procurement Authority.

The minority said the failure on the part of the president to compose boards, undermined his rhetoric that he is a “man in a hurry.”

“Where are the boards?” Haruna Iddrisu quizzed.