By BFP Investigative Team

The former Communication Director of Nana Addo 2008 campaign team, Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy's predictions that the National Democratic Congress government under the leadership of President Mills could set a record under the fourth Republic by serving only one term, should the government be seen to be corrupt, incompetent and abusive of power, may come to pass in 2012.

Unless the President, Professor John Fifii Atta-Mills, sits-up and takes charge of the office he occupies 'fully', the premonition of the leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is imminent. Dr. Arthur Kennedy is not alone thinking this way. Former President Jerry John Rawlings, who also is the founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) had caused to make similar assertions with his famous clichés: 'Greedy Bastards', 'Who born Dog' and 'You will go down.'

Ghana's arguably best pollster Ben Epson has periodically been cautioning the Mills' administration, saying 2012 would not be easy. President Mills must be ready to bear full responsibilities in case the party is kicked out of office after just a term. This is because, since the inception of the Fourth Republic, Ghanaians have, by what seems to be a convention, 'agreed' to allow all incumbent presidents to serve their full two terms. President Mills is also one leader privileged to learn from hindsight, having been a former Vice-President.
Therefore, he has no excuse to let the avoidable happen. Should the President be desirous of avoiding this catastrophe, then there is the urgent need for him to keep a close-tap on people around him and some of his appointees. One such appointee is his Secretary, Mr. J.K Bebaako-Mensah. Your Excellency, “truth, it is said, is bitter”, but is like medicine that could save your life. People like Bebaako Mensah around you will continue to make your work more difficult, as you may be experiencing now. “This man's human relation is nothing to write home about”, a source close to your office reveals. “He is known to be involved in all manner of suspicious deals and does not relate well with party members and public servants”, the source adds.

Another source explodes: “Sir, the sheer arrogance and thirst for power of this man are unimaginable. He is totally the opposite of Mr. President's humility, service, fear of God and sincerity, and given his closeness to the Father of the Nation, some of us may not be surprised if the President is afflicted one day.”
Meanwhile, documents available to your authoritative Bilingual Free Press reveal how Mr. Bebaako-Mensah is not only usurping the powers conferred on the President, but is actually rivaling him. A case in point is when he arrogated to himself the performance of a duty reserved for the President.
A Tema-based shipping company, MSCA (Ghana) Ltd., on May 19, 2010, petitioned President John Atta-Mills through a letter signed by its Managing Director, Philppe Lestrade over unilateral abrogation of a lease agreement the company entered into with the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA) in January 2009. In the concluding paragraph of its 'appeal for intervention' of his Excellency, the company warned of dire consequences should the President fail to intervene.
A correspondence currently in our possession indicates that as far as this particular petition to the President is concerned, it was Mr. Bebaako-Mensah who personally and single-handedly took action on it, as the minutes on it clearly show.
Though the letter was addressed to the President, there was no official acknowledgment of receipt of the letter in the office of the President. But he directed the Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority to release the land in question to the company, and claimed that he had already 'spoken' to the Board Chairman. The unusual manner in which this matter was handled by the Secretary to the President is raising many eye brows amongst officials of GPHA and players in the shipping industry. When Bilingual Free Press contacted Mr Bebaako- Mensah, who is on a trip in far away China with the President by phone, this is all he had to say: “In all my 45 years in the civil service, I am in better position to know I cannot act without authority from my boss.” On his part, the Director-General of Ghana Ports and Habours Authority, Mr. Nestor Ghally confirmed to Bilingual Free Press that upon instructions from the Secretary to the President, Mr. Bebaako- Mensah, the company was allowed eight acres of land instead of eleven, as it previously acquired. Mr. Ghally won't comment any further except to say, what any information we required should be sourced from Mr. Bebaako-Mensah.
Clearly something untoward might have happened in this transaction. Mr. President, shine your eyes ooh! We reproduce below for the benefit of our esteemed readers the correspondence between the company, MSCA (Ghana) Ltd and the Office of the President, with Bebaako-Mensah's own hand written instructions with his official stamp. When contacted, the Minister of Transport, Hon. Mike Hamar, could not recollect seeing such a document. The Managing Director of MSCA Ltd., Mr. Phillip, refused to comment.
Stay tune, we shall be back.