Damango MP Urges Civil Society to Probe the True Cost of Mahama's Government
The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, has called on civil society organisations and independent policy institutions to conduct a thorough examination of the full financial burden of the Mahama administration — arguing that the public debate on government size has been framed too narrowly.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story programme, the opposition legislator said assessing the government’s appetite for expenditure cannot be reduced to counting ministerial portfolios. The real cost, he argued, lies in the sprawling network of political appointees, presidential staffers, and advisers whose compensation is drawn from the public purse but often escapes scrutiny.
“Assessing government size based solely on ministerial appointments presents an incomplete picture,” Mr Jinapor said. “Numerous presidential staffers, advisers and appointees may be drawing salaries from the Office of Government Machinery and other state institutions.”
Compensation Beyond the Cabinet
Central to Mr Jinapor’s argument is the compensation structure within the Office of the President. He pointed out that senior presidential advisers are remunerated at the same grade as cabinet ministers, while other appointees are pegged at deputy-minister levels — a practice that inflates government spending without appearing in headline ministerial counts.
The Damango MP further alleged that several National Democratic Congress regional organisers have been appointed as presidential staffers attached to Regional Coordinating Councils and are being paid through the government’s compensation budget. Political appointees also serve as corporate affairs directors, communication advisers, and special advisers across various ministries, departments, and agencies — each adding to the state’s wage bill.
He urged CSOs to “dig into the size of government properly as it relates to its impact on the public sector,” and specifically called for an interrogation of the compensation budget for the Office of Government Machinery and the status gradings of its appointees.
A Cross-Party Debate
The remarks land in the middle of a broader political contest over which administration — the current National Democratic Congress government or its New Patriotic Party predecessor — maintained a leaner, more efficient structure. The NDC has previously defended its appointments as necessary to deliver on its mandate, while the NPP has seized on the numbers to argue that the government is bloated.
Mr Jinapor dismissed suggestions that his call was politically motivated. “I am very happy that Joy FM and Multimedia are bringing this matter up,” he said. “Budgetary allocations and compensation figures warrant closer examination.”
The call echoes broader concerns about government procurement and spending practices that have dominated public discourse in recent months, as citizens and watchdog groups push for greater transparency in how public funds are allocated.
Whether civil society heeds Mr Jinapor’s call remains to be seen, but the underlying question — what does it truly cost to run a government? — is one that demands an honest reckoning.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
