staffers – Adomonline.com

Increase in Presidential staffers simply jobs for the boys – NDC Man

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 14:39:36 +0000

A former Presidential staffer, Dr Clement Apaak has insisted that the increases in the number of staffers at the Jubilee House, is just a move by the government to employ party loyalists who may not necessarily have the required competencies to serve.

His comments come in spite of the government’s insistence that the number of staffers has rather reduced and not increased as the Minority in parliament had claimed.

Describing the move as simply ‘jobs for the boys’, Dr Apaak said the President was planning to increase the number of staff at the Presidency from 998 to 1614, saying that was the indication that the government has failed to protect the public purse.

“Why would you need multiples of technical advisors whiles you have appointed so many ministers with multiple deputies…I cannot understand. I think this is clearly jobs for the boys; they just want to employ loyalists.

“If this news of increasing the staffers to 1614 to go buy, then trust me, we really doing a disservice to Ghanaians,” he said on Neat FM, monitored by Adomonline.com.

Meanwhile, Information Minister, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said contrary to claims of an increase in the staff numbers at the Office of the President in 2019, the number will reduce by 69.

He said the peddlers of the allegation of an increase in the numbers were confusing the Office of Government Machinery with that of the Office of the President.

But Dr Apaak believes the list is filled with people duplicating roles at the presidency.

HOT AUDIO: “998 staffers are into groundnuts business for 1 District; one factory project” Abronye DC blasts NDC

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 10:41:32 +0000

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Newly-elected NPP First Vice Chairman for Brong Ahafo, Kwame Baffoe has defended President Akufo-Addo for the appointment of 998 staffers at the Jubilee House.
He says the presence of the staffers at the presidency is to make government works effective and efficient.
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He has chided the opposition National Democratic Congress for criticizing the number of the staffers when they [NDC] did worse things.
“So the NDC wants to know what these staffers are doing at the Jubilee House. They are into groundnut business for the one-district-one-factory project in order to feed us, including the NDC” he jabbed.
“They should just shut up because Nana Addo is only creating jobs; making sure Ghanaians work,” he said on Accra-based Okay FM as monitored by Adomonline.com.
LISTEN: AUDIO: We will retire Akufo-Addo at age 91 – Abronye DC
Critics have accused the government of failing to protect the public purse with the huge number of staffers employed.
But the Mr. Baffoe, also known as Abronye DC wants the NDC to focus its attention on the contribution of each of the staffers to government business and what the country stands to gain from their services.
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Meanwhile, Mr. Baffoe is recommending the dismissal of civil and public service personnel recruited by the John Mahama-led government between 2013 and 2016 if that is what will please the opposition NDC.
“If the NDC says the 998 staffers are huge, then Nana Addo should sack all civil and public service staff appointed by under the Mahama regime and are still at post till now. Those who were recruited from 2013, 2014, 2016 should be sacked,” he said.

AUDIO: 998 staffers: Akufo Addo was creating jobs – Minister

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 10:48:04 +0000

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Deputy Information Minister, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, has downplayed suggestions that President Akufo-Addo erred in law by appointing 998 Staffers at the Jubilee House, the seat of government.
Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei believes the president should be lauded instead of criticized because he is creating jobs.
“These people criticizing Nana Addo did even worse things when they were in power and so they have no case.
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“Some Ghanaians keep complaining that there is no job and so Nana Addo in a bid to make them happy has recruited that number to work. They should rather laud the President for creating jobs for people to also work instead of attacking him always” she said on Accra Based Okay FM monitored by Adomonline.com.
President Akufo Addo last week submitted the list of staffers at the Jubilee House to Parliament as part of requirements by the Executive to the legislature.
READ MORE: AUDIO: Debate on 998 presidential staff needless – NPP MP
And the list revealed that currently there are 998 workers at the Presidency. A development that has caught a section of Ghanaians.
But Dokua Asiamah-Adjei thinks the numbers are not necessarily a drain on national coffers.
RELATED STORY: HOT AUDIO: “Is Nana Addo farming with the 998 staffers at the Flagstaff house” – NDC man quizzes
“In these things, the numbers per se are not the most important because it’s about input and output. The line of interrogation should be what the number of staffers are producing and not just talk about the numbers” she added.

AUDIO: Debate on 998 presidential staff needless – NPP MP

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 09:38:25 +0000

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Member of Parliament for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency, George Mireku Duker, has described the ongoing debate on government’s decision to ‘over-staff’ the presidency as ‘needless’.
According to him, the number of staffers does not matter; rather, Ghanaians should concern themselves with the input and output of the numbers at the Jubilee House.
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“I think the debate over this issue is needless and will not take us anywhere as a country. Nana Addo is very competent and therefore knows what he is doing and knows those who can discharge their duties effectively and so why should we worry about the numbers when they are capable of working for the country, “he asked on Adom TV’s Morning Show “Badwam” on Wednesday.
The tall list of Presidential staffers has angered most Ghanaians with many accusing the President and his government of deceit after the NPP complained about the 768 staffers who worked as presidential staffers under the Mahama administration.
RELATED STORY: 998 staffers: Minority attacks Hamid over claims NDC spent GHC3 billion
Although some government spokespersons have tried to justify the numbers by attributing the situation to the thick number of civil servants left by the erstwhile Mahama administration, the explanation has failed to convince many.
But, Mr. Mireku Duker believes the number is not as important as the value that will be derived from them.
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“Instead of ranting every day, we should rather talk about how their works can affect lives. President has not erred. It’s about protecting the purse and not about numbers”, he claimed.
Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency noted that, in 2016, John Mahama budgeted to spend GHc3 billion on Office of Government Machinery but he ended up spending over GHc6 billion. Twice the amount budgeted for his office.
However, Hon. Mireku Duker said in 2017, the Akufo-Addo budgeted for GHc1.5 billion, twice less the amount Mahama budgeted for in 2016 and a quarter of what Mahama spent in 2016.
“The financial details show how prudent this government is. President Akufo-Addo is protecting the public purse.
In summary, one could say many people spend so few(NPP), while so few people spend so much(NDC). It is like one Minister taking double salary. In absolute figures, you may say they are only 10 appointees in number. But we are actually spending for 20 appointees” he added.
Under this Presidency, we have the following:
1. Free SHS Secretariat
2. Ministry of Inner Cities and Zongo Development
3. Ministry fo Business Development
4. Ministry of Regional Reorganization
5. Ministry of Special Development
6. Ministry of Procurement
7. Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation
8. Ministry of Planning
9. One District, One Factory
George Mireku Duker is convinced the NPP government is protecting state coffers since “each institution has a direct role to play in realizing the promises we made to the Ghanaian people”.

HOT AUDIO: Akufo-Addo has 1,600 staffers not 998 – Fmr Minister alleges

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 11:55:48 +0000

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A former deputy regional minister in the erstwhile National Democratic Congress administration, Joseph Yamin, is accusing the Akufo-Addo government of under-declaring the number of workers who work at the presidency.
Joseph Yamin fears the number of presidential staffers presented to parliament could hit over 1000 since the presidency omitted some names.
He told Adom TV ‘Badwam’ TV show that the list of presidential staffers is in the region of 1,600.
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“I have decided not to talk about this issue because the figure presented to parliament is false. The real figure per checks we have conducted and what others are saying is in the region of 1,600 plus. We will soon reveal the numbers at the right time,” he stated.
Mr. Yamin’s comment follows government’s submission to parliament, a list of 998 Presidential Staffers.
ALSO READ: 998 presidential staffers disgusting – Moquito
According to the office, nine ministers of state, 27 presidential staffers supported by 256 junior political appointees as well as 706 civil and public servants worked between January 7 and December 31, 2017.
It exceeded the 778 employees presented to parliament by the John Mahama administration in 2013 with 220 staffers.
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But Mr. Yamin accused President Akufo-Addo for not being truthful to Ghanaians.

Nana’s 998 staff fake – Mac Manu declares

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 08:07:45 +0000

President Akufo-Addo has asked Ghanaians to ignore news that seek to suggest that he is superintending over an over-bloated staff at the Jubilee House, the seat of government.
The president said he was bequeathed with 706 public and civil servants and that he had only employed 292 personnel to help run his administration.
In an annual report to parliament on presidential office staff, 2017 as required by law, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has gone overdrive since the issue hit the media last week, and they are accusing the president of putting a further strain on the public purse by employing more hands.
Pursuant to Section 11 of the Presidential Office Act, the president is supposed to submit the annual report on the staffing position of the Office of the President, which he did for 2017.
LISTEN: AUDIO: 998 presidential staffers disgusting – Moquito
The letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Aaron Oquaye clearly shows that the president, upon assumption of office on January 7, last year, met 706 staff left behind by his predecessor John Dramani Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Some of the staff had their appointments between December 2016 and January 2017 before the handing over to the new administration.
A perusal of the letter indicated that as at December 31, 2017, there were nine ministers of state, 27 presidential staffers and 256 junior political appointees.
The workers of the ministers of state are also captured as the staff of the presidency.
“Employees of public sector organizations assigned to the Office of the President include civil servants of various classes (ie administrative, executive/clerical, records, secretarial, budget, supply and material management), presidential household, Department of Parks and Gardens, Ghana Health Service, Accounting and Data Processing, and Audit Service, etc,” the president said in the letter.
DAILY GUIDE’s investigation shows that the then NDC government, under President Mahama, had a figure of 678 as a full list of staff at the presidency, including public and civil servants as at 2014.
However, the list was ballooned in 2015 and further in 2016 and also failed to furnish the new names to parliament as mandated by the law.
The then minority NPP did not appear to have demanded it from the then Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho.
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Now it appears President Akufo-Addo and his NPP government are taking the flak for the ballooning of the list of civil servants it inherited from the NDC.
Former NPP National Chairman, Peter Mac Manu, who was the campaign director of the NPP in the 2016 general elections, waded into the debate, slamming those spreading “fake news.”
Speaking at the NPP Western regional delegates’ congress in Tarkwa on Saturday, Mr Mac Manu, who is the current board chairman of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), said, “It is not true. When we say presidency, they work for the office of the president. It is not everybody who works at the office of the presidency who is at the [Jubilee] House.”
He added, “Some of them are even at various locations but their designation is that they work under the office of the president. If NPP came with 200-and-something and somebody writes on his Facebook wall that NPP has employed 935 people at the Jubilee House, isn’t that fake news? It is.”
Mr Mac Manu mentioned that the opposition elements of the NDC were peddling a lot of untruths about President Akufo-Addo’s government and it was up to the NPP members to expose them.
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He said the party members should not take anything the NDC says hook, line and sinker but always endeavour to verify any news they hear.
“We have a government to project. Let’s project the good works of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa and those in this region, the works of the Western Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie.”
“If you want to project government, you will have to deal with fake news. Some people have made it their business to run down this government,” he explained.
He added, “So we have a duty to protect this government. Whatever we hear, read or see in the media needs to be subjected to verification.
“If we fail to reflect and verify these fake news and allow them to be promulgated, then we are not protecting the government,” Mr Mac Manu stated.