General News of Tuesday, 25 September 2007

Source: Ghana Palaver

Why NADMO Amoo was fired

Snippets of information gathered by "The Ghana Palaver" has revealed that warning signals were sent to the former National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) Mr. George Isaac Amoo over his high handedness as well as general mismanagement.

According to a worker at the National Headquarters of the organization, petitions were sent to the castle over his administrative ineptitude which he said had led to the organization taking a nose dive.

According to the source who pleaded anonymity, Hon. George Isaac Amoo upon assuming duty side lined his three deputy coordinators who are deemed to have rich on the job experience and rather formed a clique of junior staff with whom he was taking decision pertaining to the running of the organization.

He was also alleged to have brought in macho men from the castle and gave them the mandate to do anything at the headquarters without any recourse to the laid down regulations of the organization. They were also allowed to use NADMO facilities including official vehicles and free fuel.

The workers the source added also accused their former national boss of double standards as according to them while he was lamenting over lack of facilities, he left rescue equipment valued over six billion cedis which was procured by his predecessor Brigadier Joseph Odei in a warehouse to gather dust.

Recently, the workers alleged that a team of whitemen were in the country to train and commission equipment for the rapid response team spent a week at the Golden Tulip Hotel trying to meet Hon. Amoo but he refused to attend compelling them to leave the country disappointed.

All these actions according to the workers impacted negatively on the organization resulting in the rapid dwindling in the nominal strength of the rescuers as they were poached by the mining companies and therefore appealed to the government to sack the National Coordinator to save the organization from total collapse.

Attempt to get Hon. George Isaac Amoo to react to the allegations proved futile as he was said to be out of town.

In a relate development, the workers are angry over the appointment of the former Greater Accra Regional Police Commander Deputy Commander of Police (DCOP) Douglas Akrofi as the National Coordinator of NADMO.

The workers who expressed their anger to this reporter questioned the ability of DCOP Akrofi?s ability to handle crisis situation.

They said disaster management is a demanding task and judging from his handling of the ?Wahala? demonstration where he ordered his men to charge on the demonstrators, and other human rights related issues, they think he is not the right person to handle the organization.

?We were expecting the government to appoint someone who can handle crisis with tact and civility but if the actions and outburst of the former Police Capo is anything to go by then we are doomed. How can this man who is not tolerant head such a sensitive organization as NADMO??. One worker who declined to mention her name for fear of victimization queried.