Gargantuan Ex-gratia: Scrap Council of State if it's needless – Dr. Oduro Osae
The Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Dr. Eric Oduro-Osae, has called for the dissolution of the Council of State.
The Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Dr. Eric Oduro-Osae, has called for the dissolution of the Council of State.
According to him, the Council of State has proven beyond reasonable doubt that it has outlived its usefulness.
He said "It is about time we reconsidered the functions of the Council of State in our governance structure. If we sincerely believe that we cannot allow the Council of State to advise Parliament, the judiciary, and the executive and the decision to be binding on them, we should scrap it."
Dr. Osae's comments come after the Paramount Chief and the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV rejected over GH¢365,000 ex-gratia paid to him for serving on the Council of State between 2017 and 2020.
Togbe Afede has returned the money to the state through the Bank of Ghana.
In a statement issued by the Agbogbomefia, he said he received monthly payments and allowances while as a member of the Council of State therefore he sees no need for the payment of the ex-gratia.
"I did not think the payment was made to trap me, as is being speculated. I believe it was paid to everybody who served on the Council of State. However, I thought that extra payment was inappropriate for a short, effectively part-time work, for which I received a monthly salary and was entitled to other privileges. So, I was very uncomfortable with it," Togbe Afede XIV said in a statement.
Dr. Eric Oduro-Osae speaking on the development said the presidential advisory body must be either scrapped or reviewed to make the country’s governance system more useful.
"There is no point having a Council of State that will advise, and the decision is not binding. So far as we are not allowing the Council of State to advise all arms of the state, we should scrap it because we have other institutions. If we are reviewing or revising their role in our governance architecture, then we should tone down on the political appointees that are appointed to the Council of State," he said on Citi TV.
