Former deputy Attorney General, Dominic Ayine, has filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging 66-year-old Amidu’s nomination for the post arguing that he had exceeded the maximum age of retirement in the public service.

According to Dominic Ayine it would be unconstitutional for Martin Amidu to be approved for the position.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jMDBTAJfw7iQtmfWAcMWaT9nITp7NXBj”]However, Sydney Casley Hayford, speaking on Citi FM‘s news analysis programme The Big Issue, stated that Mr Amidu’s age should not be a factor in his consideration for the post.

He argued that competence and enthusiasm were more important factors that indicated whether a person was appropriate for the job, both of which Martin Amidu had shown at his vetting.

“What is wrong with a 60-year-old person? Can’t you walk? Can’t you talk? Can’t you think? Are you incapacitated physically and mentally? It is enthusiasm that keeps you going, it is not age. Your chronological age has nothing to do anything,” he said.

He added that even though the provisions in the Constitution upheld, a person’s desire to do the work they have been tasked with should be foremost in the factors for their approval.

‘Too old’

Former Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Dominic Ayine challenged the nomination of Martin Amidu for the position of Special Prosecutor because of his age.

In his argument, he said the Office of the Special Prosecutor falls under the broad category of public officers who by the constitution must retire by age 60 with a possible extension to 65 years.

He is seeking  declaration that “by a true and proper interpretation of Article 190(1)(d),199(1,)199(4) and 295 of the 1992 Constitution, the retirement age of all holders of public office created pursuant to Article(1)(d) is sixty years, anyhow not beyond (65).”

Vetted and endorsed

Martin Amidu was vetted by the Appointments Committee last Tuesday, February 15, 2018; an assessment exercise that lasted for over 7 hours.

Mr. Amidu’s public vetting has received widespread commendation as many stakeholders believe he performed creditably.

The Appointments Committee also unanimously recommended his confirmation moments after the grueling exercise.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘Old age’ won’t stop Amidu from performing – Casely-Hayford appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, this is something all successive governments have struggled with for a long time.

[contextly_sidebar id=”txPX4QdHGrNEY3cI9S5hh6huKJQp1k9t”]Speaking on the Citi FM’s analysis programme, The Big Issue, he said governments over the years have failed to get the figures together because they consider it a difficult task.

“Our failure is in thinking that it is a complicated difficult job that we have to keep postponing because nobody can find an answer, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) last government postponed it for 8 years, and they didn’t put any employment statics out there, prior to that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government between 2001 and 2008, they didn’t put out any employment statistics either,” he said.

According to him, this is something government should not be skipping because systems are already in place to make the collation of such  data much easier.

He stated that the easiest way or the first step, is for government to go to the various universities and get data on the number of people who are have graduated, and from that, they can get follow up to get more information on the number of people a company hires and fires at a point in time.

“There are systems already designed of how people collect unemployment information and put it out there, at least we will know and should know, how many graduates come out of the university and how many of them are employed, and not employed in a particular year,” Hayford said.

He said such information is critical to how the problem of unemployment will be solved.

Reacting to a question about the number of jobs his government had created at the second media encounter at the Flagstaff House on Wednesday, President Akufo-Addo said, he did not have statistics on the country’s employment data, and that he was unsure it existed.

He, however noted that, the government was in the process of collating it, and it would be ready by the April 2018.

“The statistics on the jobs…. I am barely one year in office. Some of these statistics are being collected as we speak now so the labour statistics as to the number of jobs that have been created, those are not statistics that are at hand anywhere. Even for the government, I believe that they are in the process of being assembled, so perhaps in 2 or 3 months, we will be in a better position to answer that question in a more effective manner,” the President said.

Many have said his response was unsatisfactory, with the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress [NDC], Joseph Nii Ade Coker, saying the President’s confession that he did not readily have statistics on the number jobs his government has created is unpardonable.

Gov’t policies can go ahead ‘without employment data’

A Deputy Minister for Finance, Kwaku Kwarteng, has argued that the government’s policies and programs aimed at ensuring development in the country can go ahead, whiles efforts are being made to collate the necessary data on the country’s labour force.

According to him, the government must not halt its activities due to the unavailability of up-to-date employment figures.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show in reaction to the President’s answer to the question, he said, “it is wrong to say that because of all these inadequacies, the government is not in the position to design policies to improve the unemployment situation…The strategies to know accurately how many are unemployed and what kind of employment they are looking for is not something we can do overnight and we cannot wait to do all that before we design policies to address unemployment”.

‘Foundation laid for jobs’

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said in December 2017 that the government has put structures in place to ensure that the country’s unemployment challenges are addressed.

According to Nana Addo, despite inheriting an economy in dire straits, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has worked assiduously towards ensuring that job opportunities are created for Ghanaians.

“We’ve had important challenges; Invincible and Delta Forces and the tensions at the grassroots of the party over jobs. I appreciate very much the anxiety over jobs. What I’m saying is that, the foundation has been laid for jobs. It has not been easy because we inherited a bankrupt economy, but because of the ingenuity of the people I’m working with, we’ve been able to lay a good foundation,” the President said.

“Let us remain united and confident, we are on the right path and soon it will be obvious to everybody. Our race is not a sprint, it is a cross-country, it is a marathon race and we are going to win at the end, not just at the beginning.”

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘We’ve never been serious’ to collate employment data – Sydney appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had described as abysmal, the performance of the Akufo-Addo government in its first 6 months.

According to the NDC, the party had failed on many fronts, especially in the fight against corruption since it assumed office on January 7.

“ The true verdict of majority of Ghanaians is that Akufo Addo and Bawumia have failed woefully as managers of all affairs of state..Most definitely, President Akuffo Addo is turning out to become like Kweku Ananse because in our Ghanaian folklore, Kweku Ananse always begins as the most intelligent and shrewdest person but ends up hiding his embarrassment in his web. The embarrassment that is engulfing the Akufo Addo, Bawumia government is becoming too much,” Mr. Portuphy said.

Speaking on Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue, Mr. Casley Hayford however said it will be unfair to criticise the NPP government for poor governance since it had been in power for just six months.

He further indicated that it will be too early to expect results, saying“it is too early for us to see the impact of what is being done. When we are looking at government, it is a little more difficult to take off. There is a certain amount of inertia required,” he said.

The Minority has on several occasions criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration for what they describe as incompetence and corruption.

These criticisms particularly heightened in the wake of the BOST scandal

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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President Mahama in an interview with the Ovation Magazine said a certain group of people have taken control of the Ghanaian media and are blocking his government’s message, a situation which in his view, makes it difficult for people to know the truth.

“It is populism, a certain group has taken control of the media in Ghana and it makes it difficult for people to discern the truth. So as much as you are putting out the information, it is either being blocked or distorted,” the President said.

But speaking on Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue, Casley Hayford pointed out that, government has no business making such an allegation when it “controls the national media platform.”

He believes the President sought to create confusion with his comments.

“When you make statements like this and you use these nefarious cabal, these nefarious group of people who are not indentifiable then you are behaving like Jerry John Rawligs and you are behaving like a Donal Trump who is calling for a complete destruction of the world because we will be voting Hillary Clinton into authority.

“When people don’t like to accept what is the fact and what is the real truth and you try and break up what civil society and sensible people are trying to establish in the world then you create so much confusion .”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Mahama behaving like Donald Trump with media cabal allegation – Casley Hayford appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.