Pressure mounts on Mills to sack ministers

President Mills might certainly not be enthused with current happenings in his government, as some top men in his administration have come under severe criticisms for purportedly neglecting party foot-soldiers, non performance, and in some cases downplaying the party's "Better Ghana" agenda.

From Yendi to Accra, district chief executives (DCEs), municipal chief executives (MCEs), members of parliament (MPs) and ministers of state, the agitators, comprising foot-soldiers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and public servants, have often resorted to demonstrations to make their demands known.

The President himself, last year, was not spared, as he came under a barrage of criticism from his party members for allegedly being too slow in running the affairs of the country.

Last year, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu-Senya, David Nana Larbie, was chased out from his constituency by aggrieved party faithful for allegedly neglecting them, and working against the interest of the party. The issue has since been addressed, enabling him to enjoy peace with his constituents.

Again, the Founder of the NDC, former president Rawlings, together with some high ranking officials in the party, started mounting pressure on the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General (A-G), Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu, to prosecute former government officials.

Their quest has, eventually, yielded results, as some former government officials in the immediate past government are facing trial for willfully causing financial loss to the state.

In March this year, some irate youth of the NDC in Yendi besieged the constituency offices of the party to demand the immediate dismissal of the Municipal Chief Executive of the area for his alleged involvement in some corrupt practices in awarding contracts, and also failing to provide them with jobs. He was also accused of failing to award scholarships to children of party members at the tertiary institutions, and again, working against the interest of the party.

The protesters also vowed to kill the MCE if they ever set eyes on him anywhere near the office, or within the constituency.

In the same month, Carl Wilson, then head of the Confiscated Vehicles Committee, was relieved of his position following the action of some irate youth, who stormed the offices of the national headquarters of the party and locked out the party executives.

In January this year, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, then Deputy Energy Minister, became a casualty of President Mills' first reshuffle exercise in his government, following complaints from workers of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) for non-performance.

He was replaced by the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusa B. Fuseini Abdulai.

And now, the heat has been turned on the substantive Minister of Energy, Dr. Oteng Adjei, for allegedly flouting the orders of President Mills, and allowing the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) to supply the nation's only refinery with crude oil, instead of allowing TOR to do its own business.

The aggrieved workers on Tuesday demanded the removal of the Minister from office, for intruding in their core business.

But, some government officials, in a sharp rebuttal, cleared the Minister off the allegations by the TOR workers, arguing that the President did not make any pronouncement barring any institution from supplying crude oil to TOR.

Just yesterday, some staff of the Ghana Statistical Service also embarked on a peaceful demonstration in their own yard, to demand the head of the Government Statistician (GS), Dr. Grace Bediako.

Clad in red bands and head gears, the aggrieved workers contend that they were fed up with the leadership style of Dr. Bediako, which they argued was derailing the gains made by the department.

They accused her of monopolising the system, and refusing to delegate authority. Some workers, who spoke to The Chronicle on condition of anonymity, said Dr. Grace Bediako's action had led to the resignation of some top officials of the Statistical Service.

"In fact, we are no more afraid to voice out our grievances. The monopolistic leadership style of the Government Statistician is collapsing the Service. If you are not in her good books, count yourself out from enjoying any benefit from the statistical department. How can a junior staff be sent abroad to upgrade himself without giving preference to a senior staff?" quizzed one worker.

They accused her of, among other things, for failing to facilitate the promotion of some workers who had for the past seven years upgraded themselves, and for unpaid allowances.

But the Acting Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Philemon Y. Mennia, in an interview with The Chronicle, though admitted that the concerns raised by the staff were genuine, was quick to add that they should have exercised some patience, since the management was on top of issues to address their grievances.

"Their concerns are genuine, since it has been there from last year, but at least, they should have exercised some patience, as management was on top of issues to address their grievances. It is not that somebody wants to sit on their promotion, but there is a problem that we have to deal with holistically, in order to bring harmony into the service," he noted.

According to him, the Statistical Service was under staffed, especially at the district level, now that the economy was expanding.

He said four of its staff, as at yesterday, had been promoted to work at the district level, and therefore pleaded with the aggrieved workers to exercise restraint, as measures were being put in place to address their grievances.

He was particularly grateful to the Board of Directors of the service for their immense contribution in addressing the problems of the department.

Meanwhile, a closed-door meeting that ensued between the workers and the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, has calmed nerves, as reports suggest that the Minister had promised to set up a committee to address their grievances. May 14th has been set as the deadline, according to the Trades Union Congress Chairman of the Statistical Service, Mr. Robert Kwabena Mensah.