Cabinet Shake Up

President John Evans Atta Mills is set to make his maiden ministerial overhaul since he assumed the leadership of the country- an action which would witness the shuffling of positions and even the outright exiting of big names. A startling aspect of the changes will be the possible bouncing back to public office of Dr. George Adjah-Sipa Yankey who resigned his position as Minister of Health in the wake of the Mabey & Johnson bribery scandal.

He was mentioned as one of the recipients of the bribe doled out by the British bridge construction firm although he denied the money was bribe.

Dr. Sipa Yankey is tipped to take over the Finance and Economic Planning Ministry from Dr. Kwabena Duffuor or be sent to the Energy Ministry to take over from Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei, who might be on his way out.

A number of ministers would be dropped while more are expected to come on board to join the team.

Sources said the former Health Minister, who is said to have contributed immensely to the Mills Administration, might be recalled, with the possible creation of new ministries including that of Petroleum Resources in line with the country’s new ranking in the oil and gas industry. Also expected to give way is Minister of Education, Alex Tettey-Enyo, sources said.

The Number One Citizen has been under intense pressure in recent times from many angles, including National Democratic Congress (NDC) founder, Jerry John Rawlings, about his engagement of mediocre or what is derogatively referred to as Team ‘B’ ministers.

The major ministerial shake-up has also been necessitated by the phenomenon of ministers not being on talking terms with their deputies.

Some ministers are said to be causing President Mills nightmares over their inability to so far declare their assets, many months after the elapsing of the deadline for them to do so. Some have suddenly become rich overnight, acquiring properties, left, right and center.

While some ministers are scheduled to lose their appointments, others would change portfolios, especially in those ministries where the deputies and their bosses do not see eye-to-eye.

One of the female deputy ministers, said to draw her power from the Rawlingses, has been a source of worry to her boss at one of the key ministries.

Unable to handle the subject, the best option for the President is to resort to a ministerial reshuffle which political observers say is long overdue.

Rumours of the imminent shakeup have put ministers on edge for the past few months.

The bombshell was expected to be dropped when the President departed for his Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth assignment.

Things have had to change however, as the action has been rescheduled for early next year, barring unforeseen developments.

Subtle manouvres are said to be on overdrive, especially among ministers who think they would be hit by the Mills tsunami.

While some ministers and other government appointees are being seen as newcomers in the NDC fold, others were said to have abandoned the party when things got tough for the political grouping before 2009.

Ex-President Rawlings’ mention of “greedy bastards”, political observers noted, could be in reference to some of the elements who might be shown the exit route from government.

In particular, the Minister of Information, Zita Sabah Okaikoi, has been at the receiving end of persistent attacks over what some of her colleague NDC members consider as her ineptitude at the key portfolio.

Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, MP for Kpone/Katamanso, has persistently written the lady off as incompetent and unable to effectively parry attacks on the NDC.

Even when he finally landed the position of Minister of State at the Presidency, he has not abandoned his campaign to get the lady off the schedule.

Hon. Fritz Baffour or Dr. Tony Aidoo could be the next Minister of Information when the tsunami lands in January, all things being equal.

Martin Amidu, the Bawku boy, who once partnered Prof Mills as running mate, might be landing a ministerial appointment as the next Attorney-General and Justice Minister, replacing the incumbent, Betty Mould-Iddrisu.

The fact that government has lost many cases in the courts, has impacted negatively on the dexterity of the Attorney-General, compelling some NDC power-brokers to ask for her transfer to another department. Betty is not known to be a courtroom lawyer.

A friend of the Rawlingses, she could escape the tsunami if she is convinced to take another portfolio of equal status.

Signals received by DAILY GUIDE suggest that Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, has been penciled to move from her current schedule so her frosty relationship with her boss, Albert Abongo, does not impact negatively on the performance of the ministry.

The transfer of Dr. Bissiw, a Cuban-trained veterinary surgeon, could prove a tough nut for President Mills to crack, given her closeness to the Rawlingses.

The plan to move her would only work if it has the blessing of her godfathers.

As for the Interior Minister, Cletus Avoka, many are calling for his transfer to another portfolio, given that he hails from Bawku, a major conflict zone in the country.

Dr. Oteng Adjei of the Energy Ministry is one of those who could be bowing out compulsorily alongside Mrs. Zita Okaikoi.

In his now famous and infamous article in the Daily Graphic, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, a leading member of the NDC and a Rawlings man, referred to the engagement of Team ‘B’ elements as ministers. The article sparked a row which turned out to be fractious for the party.

He pointed at the communications machinery of the government which, as he put it, was not speaking with one voice on issues.

The shakeup, DAILY GUIDE has gathered, would attempt streamlining the communications machinery to address the glaring challenge in this department.

Ex-President Rawlings’ two-hour meeting with President Mills at the Castle, during which the issue of satisfying the yearnings of NDC members was discussed alongside the termination of some appointees, could be, in a way, responsible for the scheduled reshuffling next year.

As the Mills Administration marks its first anniversary next year, the reshuffle is expected to address the challenges of non-performance being leveled against it by not only outsiders, but party insiders.