NIA-PSWU mistrust for Ken Attafuah motivated by false claims, misinformation – Governing Board

The governing board of the National Identification Authority (NIA) has, in an issued statement, dismissed all allegations against the executive secretary of the NIA, Professor Ken Attafuah, raised by the NIA Division of the Public Service Workers Union (PSWU) in a petition it submitted to President Akufo-Addo demanding the removal of the NIA boss from office.

In the statement signed by the Chairman, Legal, Administration & Human Resource Committee of the NIA Governing Board on behalf of the NIA Governing Board, the NIA governing board said: “The apparent loss of trust in the executive secretary among members of the NIA PSWU stems primarily from the campaign of deliberate misinformation championed by the leadership of the NIA PSWU.”

“The attention of the Governing Board of the NIA has been drawn to a petition from the NIA Division of the Public Service Workers Union (PSWU) addressed to his excellency the President but widely circulated through mainstream and social media, calling for the removal of Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah from office as executive secretary of NIA.

“The Governing Board wishes to express its complete confidence in the Executive Secretary’s integrity, competence, experience, and resourcefulness in the performance of his duties, including the advancement of the interests of NIA workers, and roundly describes the petition as baseless and unwarranted, the NIA governing board release read.

“As stated by the National Labour Commission (NLC) at a hearing on Wednesday, 3al July 2024 into ongoing negotiations between Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU), the NIA Division of the PSWU (NIA PSWU) has no right to petition his excellency the President to remove the executive secretary, Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, without exhausting internal procedures; the NLC declared the conduct of the NIA PSWU as both “illegal and completely out of line”.

“The NLC further advised the PSWU representative, John Nii Donu Sampah, to educate the NIA PSWU to refrain from engaging in such actions, including writing petitions whilst labour-related matters are before the NLC, the NIA governing board’s statement further read.

“For the avoidance of doubt and to set the record straight,” the governing board in its statement decided to address the concerns of the NIA PSWU which formed the basis for their demand for the removal of Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah from office.

First, the NIA governing board said; “Most of the issues in the petition to the President had been raised by the NIA PSWU in a petition to the executive secretary dated 10 July 2023, and subsequently vacated wholly after its executives rendered an unqualified apology for same at a meeting with NIA management and the members of the governing board convened at the request of Dr Yaw Baah, the secretary general of Trades Union Congress (TUC) – the mother union of the PSWU.”

Second; “The NIA PSWU claims in the petition that the executive secretary has unlawfully dismissed some staff members including Samuel Duah and Martin Akowuah who received a “gift from a benevolent client” and one who consistently reported to work too early.

“It must be noted that disciplinary action against errant employees at NIA, including dismissal, is not undertaken by the executive secretary but by the collective decision of Management following thorough disciplinary proceedings in which respect is shown for the natural justice rights of persons whose conduct is impugned.

“Moreover, during their training, staff were admonished against receiving gifts from applicants, as such conduct has the potential to compromise the integrity of staff, bring the image of NIA into disrepute, and place the National Identification System (IS) in danger. Section 9.4.9 of the Human Resource Management Policy Framework and Manual for Ghana Public Services (“PSC Manual”) provides that it is misconduct for a public servant to:

“Receive or solicit any contribution, fee, gift of value, or emolument of any kind from any person for services rendered in the discharge of the public servant’s official duties. and b. receive gifts of value (in accordance with prevailing national policy).

“In the case of Samuel Duah, a report received from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service attached to the NIA headquarters, Accra, indicated that he extorted monies from some applicants for the Ghana Card.

“Furthermore, contrary to the NIA PSWU’s claim that Samuel Duah was dismissed for receiving “a gift from a benevolent client”, the uncontroverted evidence which Samuel Duah himself admitted during the disciplinary proceedings was that he operated an unapproved protocol arrangement at the Subin office of NIA in Kumasi for the registration of applicants for the Ghana Card and received monetary gifts from applicants.

“Indeed, so pervasive was the corrupt practice and so deeply involved was Samuel Duah that he, together with all staff at the said office, was dismissed following thorough investigations and hearings.”

Third; “Concerning Martin Akowuah, this matter is before the NLC, which has directed that closing addresses be filed by 18 July 2024, with further responses, if any, before a ruling on 25 July 2024. Thus, ordinarily, no comment on the matter in the public domain should be encouraged.

“Suffice it to say, however, that the NIA is obliged to set the record straight by presenting the accurate facts of the situation, contrary to what the NIA PSWU has presented. By his admission in his response to a query, Martin Akowuah instituted at the La- Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Office of NIA, his work schedule that required all staff to commence work early in the morning each working day and sometimes on weekends for the exclusive purpose of registering for the Ghana Card for close family relatives of staff, staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), as well as some Management members.

“This is contrary to Public Service rules and regulations, public policy and NIA’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) for registration. The Governing Board appreciates that the period of the investigations and subsequent determination of the disciplinary matters involving some staff members of NIA took longer than expected but it was not intentional to keep the interdicted staff in that situation.

“It is important to indicate that the Committee was, at the same time, handling a total of ten (10) serious cases of alleged corruption including extortion, and breaches of NIA’s SOPs and Public Service rules, regulations, and guidelines.”

Click on the link below to read the full statement issued by the governing board of the National Identification Authority (NIA)

NIA Governing Board Statement on Claims by NIA-PSWU

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra

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