Government has for the past few days come under immense criticism following the release of a list revealing some 998 staffers at the Office of Government Machinery, a number that has attracted public outrage.

In an attempt to mount a stronger defence and calm tempers, party members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) including Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid have embarked on a charge to justify the numbers.

Government’s spokesperson Mustapha Hamid who particularly has been chided by some party sympathisers for poor communication management that birthed the public outrage which followed the revelations, was on GhanaWeb’s “21 minutes with KKB” to defend government yet again.

Explaining the make-up of the appointment, Dr. Hamid observed that there are many organisations and agencies that are unfit to fall within the proper remit of any ministry except the Office of the President.

“There are various organisations and agencies in our country which are not directly under any ministry or organisation except the Office of the President. The department of Parks and Gardens, GIPC, Ghana AIDS Commission, all those organisations. There many organisations which are under the office of the President.”

Dr. Hamid urged the public to eschew what he describes as “erroneous impressions” seeking to suggest that all 998 appointed staffers work at the Jubilee House or worse, have an office at the seat of government.



“Please let’s not continue to bandy the erroneous impression that every morning when you wake up from Monday to Friday, there are 998 who have filed up and entering the gates of the Jubilee House, where they all have desks or some are hanging on ceiling and so on. It will be difficult to imagine space in the Jubilee House for 998 people” he argued.



This is not the first time government has put forth this argument since the release of the list but it appears Ghanaians will not budge as there is still pressure being mounted especially by civil society groups for a downward review of the number.