[ 2017-01-25 ]

DAILY GUIDE’s sources said the sacking of the SSNIT boss was communicated to him on Monday

SSNIT boss kicked out
The Director-General of the Social Security and
National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Ernest Thompson,
has been relieved of his post.

DAILY GUIDE’s sources said the sacking of the
SSNIT boss was communicated to him on Monday.

According to sources, Mr Thompson’s dismissal
was greeted with excitement by the staff who were
of the view that SSNIT was run down under the
outgoing Director General, with most of its priced
assets, including banks, being disposed of.

The staff also accused Mr Thompson of showing
nepotism in employment, as well as promotions,
saying some of them had been on one grade for more
than eight years.

A member of the Appointments Committee of
Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for
Manhyia South, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, at the
committee’s sitting last Friday, made a
startling revelation about the rot at SSNIT which
he said had happened with alleged endorsement of
its Board of Directors.

The outgoing SSNIT board is reported to have given
approval for the Trust to put a number of its
expensive management residential facilities in
Accra for sale.

The buildings, including six residential
properties and two guest houses, are located in
plush areas like North Ridge, Cantonments and
Airport Residential Area – all in Accra.

But there are concerns that the state facilities
will be sold at very cheap rates to cronies.

The decision is raising public concerns because
some observers believe that SSNIT needed to
protect the properties and not dispose of them.
Others claim the powerful management members and
the board will turn around to buy the said
properties for peanuts.

Currently, an inspection report of the state of
the buildings has already been given to the
management by an ad hoc committee the SSNIT Board
set up and a memo has been issued by the company
secretary, giving details of the report.

The memo, which was signed on Friday, January 6,
2017 – the eve of the inauguration of President
Akufo-Addo – and copied to the SSNIT Director
General – indicates that the board had
considered the report of the ad hoc committee.

“At its 300th meeting held on 5th January, 2017,
the Board considered a report by the ad hoc
committee of the Board which undertook an
inspection tour of some of the Trust’s
Management residences at North Ridge, Cantonments
and Airport Residential Area in Accra,” the memo
signed by Mrs. Gifty J. Annan, company secretary
said.

According to the memo, the designated Director
General’s residence was not included in the
decision of the Board.

The document, sighted by DAILY GUIDE, gave vivid
descriptions of the facilities located on 0.74,
0.11 and 0.35 acres of land that were to be sold.

Ms Gifty Annan indicated that first is a
two-storey main building with a detached outhouse,
launderette, garage and security post and that the
main building provides accommodation for a
living/dining, bedrooms, kitchen, store, sanitary
and circulatory areas at North Ridge House No 7.

The remark of the committee approved by the Board
said, “The property was recently renovated to be
maintained as Director General’s residence.”

Also, there is a two-storey main building with a
detached outhouse, boys quarters and security post
where the main building provides accommodation for
a living/dining, bedrooms, kitchen, store,
sanitary and circulatory areas at No. 58 Ridge.

The document said the property was previously used
as an executive guest house being occupied by Mr
Thompson.

The committee said the facility was “fairly
renovated to be sold.”

The memo described another facility as a
two-storey main building with a detached outhouse
and security post located at No. 58A, North Ridge,
adding, “The property has similar designs as the
one described above and was occupied by a former
Director General.”

It said the board had approved the facility to be
sold because it’s in a poor state.

Another two-storey semi-detached main building
with an outhouse providing accommodation for a
living/dining, bedrooms, kitchen and sanitary
areas located at No. 17, Cantonments, has been
listed to be sold while five other 2-storey
semi-detached main buildings – all with
outhouses located at Nos. 18, 20, 21, 22 and 24 in
Cantonments – are also being sold.

The committee remarked, “The limited plot size
hampers its potential for redevelopment into a
modern residence for optimal returns, and
therefore, they are to be sold.”

According to the memo, there is another 2-storey
main building with an outhouse and a detached
garage on a 0.35-acre land at Airport Residential
Area; and the committee recommended that “The
property should be demolished and redeveloped into
a modern apartment to generate optimal
returns.”

The memo said the management was going to engage
“Architectural and Engineering Service Limited
to value the properties to be disposed of and
revert to the Board.”

It also asserted, “The sale is to be advertised
and bidders should be required to submit bid bonds
as was done in the case of the disposal of the Wa
and Bolgatanga properties,” adding that “due
process should be followed accordingly.”

SSNIT on January 13, 2017 issued another memo
signed by Gabriel N.O. Sackey requesting for
“the necessary title documents on the properties
to enable us engage Messrs AESL to determine the
market values of same.”

Source - dailyguideafrica.com

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