Functionaries of the out-going Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government are engaged in last minute deals in several state agencies, ostensibly to frustrate and sabotage the incoming administration of the New Patriotic Party government, led by the President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The deals include signing of dubious contracts and appointments and promotions in some state institutions.
Places where some of these last minute appointments are being carried include the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the National Service Secretariat.
At the GPHA, the Director General, Richard Anamoo, is engaged in what some aggrieved staff call “the illegal promotion” of about 1,000 workers.
The obvious dishonest move, according to our sources, was done on Saturday, December 10, 2016, just a day after Nana Akufo-Addo was declared the presdent-elect, but backdated to December 3, 2016.
These promotions by the Director General are creating confusion and suspicions at the country’s maritime hub as most workers who were due for promotion four years ago have been denied.
Some management personnel believe they have been denied these promotions due to their perceived political affiliations. Our source at GPHA pointed out that the Human Resource Department, which is supposed to handle the promotion of staffs, had no hand in the illegal exercise, making it a one man show.
Our source further disclosed that the Director General did the promotions mainly to favour only NDC footsoldiers and cronies who do his bidding.
Strangely, individuals who have served at the Authority for years and are due for promotions have been denied whilst the personal driver and bodyguard of the Director General have all benefited from the promotions, our source revealed.
Additionally, we learnt from our source that about 400 workers have been employed by the new Maritime Hospital alone this week, with their appointed letters also backdated.
“I can tell you on authority that just this week alone, the hospital has strangely employed about 400 workers and the date of their appointment back dated,” our source said.
Similarly, there are reports that the Acting Director of the National Service Secretariat, Michael Kpessa-Whyte, who is also alleged to be embroiled in some financial malfeasance, is on an appointment spree at the secretariat.
Most of these new appointments to district and regional director positions are being thrown at loyalists of the NDC in a worrying fashion.
According to a statement signed by Ekow Vincent, National President of NASPA, whilst the common practice has been to engage the Public Services Commission in making new appointments, the acting Director has blatantly ignored that part of the law “which even mandates officers of the PSC to be represented on interview panels.”
The NASPA president claimed that the positions being filled were not properly advertised as prescribed by the laws, adding that more worrying was Mr Kpessah White’s decision allegedly to dole out a whopping GHC100,000 to a consultant for his services.
Meanwhile, head of the President-elect transition team, Yaw Osafo Marfo, has raised concerns over the late promotions and recruitment into the various sectors, including the security agencies, by the outgoing government.
He has also berated efforts by the government to regularize the appointment of some individuals into the public service, following the defeat of the NDC in last week’s polls.
Speaking to the media Wednesday during the ongoing transition process in Accra, the former finance minister called on the outgoing Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, to ensure that such engagements were stopped immediately.
He urged him to ensure that all major government decisions in the days ahead were discussed with the incoming team.