No cash for 'Three Wise Men' as Prez abandons new projects

No budget was allocated for Hon. Alban Bagbin, Hon. E.T. Mensah and Hon. Cletus Apul Avoka as coordinators of President Mahama’s priority projects, according to analysis of the 2103 budget by the Ghanaian Observer (GO).

What makes the appointment and the work of the ‘Three Wise Men’ more frustrating is fact that the Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance has been given specific instruction not to approve any new project unless all uncompleted projects have been completed nationwide.

Hon. Bagbin, former Minister of Health, Hon. E.T. Mensah, former Minister of Employment and Social welfare and Hon. Cletus Apul Avoka former Majority Leader, were appointed by President John Dramani Mahama, to superintend over the implementation of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government priority projects including building of schools and healthcare centres.

However, there is no clear allocation in the 2013 budget for the 'Three Wise Men' to do their job.

Already, some politicians and political analysts have questioned the rationale behind the appointment of the three as they forecast clashes with substantive Ministers when it comes to monitoring of projects.

The 'Three Wise Men', who coincidentally sit together in Parliament, are yet to be given an office to operate from and the longer they receive their visitors in the lobby with no budget to work with, the more the public will believe the assertion that the President intended to retire these experienced politicians from meritorious work.

Shortly after the President announced the appointment of the three, the PNC Policy Analyst, Atik Mohammed noted that President Mahama could have used another way of retiring the ‘Three Wise Men’ than this frustrating way.

“If you feel that they’ve done enough and you want to retire them, there are several startle ways that you can do that but as for this retirement package you’ve decide to give to them I don’t think it is appropriate and in terms of cost benefit analysis, I don’t think it is cost efficient,” he stated.