Mills Hits Back: Sekou Is Useless

Posted: Daily Guide |Friday, 16 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC), Dr Sekou Nkrumah, has finally been booted out of office after making a damning criticism of President Atta Mills and his leadership style.

Sekou had said that President Mills was not cut out for presidential office, suggesting that the former law lecturer was only fit for the classroom.

The statement caused panic in government, leading to his dismissal yesterday; three days after DAILY GUIDE published an interview granted to AfricaWatch magazine.

A letter dated July 15, 2010 and signed by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Nii Nortey Dua, sent to Sekou and copied to the Secretary to the Vice President, Chief of Staff and the Chairperson of the National Youth Council, said Sekou Nkrumah who had told the magazine that he was not afraid of dismissal had been relieved of his appointment.

“I write to inform you that on the recommendation of the Board of Trustees of the National Youth Council, based on your performance at post, it cannot recommend confirmation of your appointment as Acting National Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council,” the letter said.

For this reason, the Deputy Minister stated, “I hereby on the authority of His Excellency President John Evans Atta Mills terminate your appointment as Acting Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council with effect from July 22, 2010.”

Government has offered to pay Sekou three months salary in lieu of notice and consequently requested him to prepare and submit a comprehensive handing-over note to the Director of Administration at the NYC before his final exit.

He has thus been asked to hand over all government or NYC properties in his possession to the Director of Administration.

Sekou, third son of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, had told the AfricaWatch magazine that “a lot of people see Mills as an academic and a gentleman.

But, in the political arena, you need to be strong-minded, and it looks like this leadership quality is missing in Mills.

So I guess we need a more strong-willed, dynamic personality, a charismatic person to inspire national confidence, and also to let the population see the national agenda and feel part of it.”

Dr. Nkrumah was asked: “Is the Mills government on course to deliver its pre-election promises of a Better Ghana?”

He answered: "Honestly, there is a big question mark because since the NDC came to power in January 2009, there has not really been any serious change in real terms.

"From where I am standing, I can see clearly that since coming to power, the Mills government has not fulfilled its promises. I know it is not politically correct, but that's a fact."

The AfricaWatch magazine asked Dr. Nkrumah, “Is the economy any better now than when President Mills met it in January 2009?”.

He answered "I am not an expert, but it doesn't seem to be better now than when the NDC met it. I don't think much has changed."

Though the interview with Sekou was conducted two weeks ago, it was not until its publication in DAILY GUIDE on Tuesday that it really hit the government, paving way for his dismissal.

Sekou said he bore nobody grudges for his dismissal. “I have nothing against the board. I have nothing against the President,” he told Joy FM yesterday.

He had earlier met President Mills before his letter was delivered to him.

He said he was going to clear the air after the dust of his removal had settled, especially on the allegation that he was incompetent.

NYC Board Chairperson Esther Cobbah has been offering some explanation as to why he was given the boot.

Aside the charge that the Board was unimpressed about his work, Ms. Cobbah said Sekou “blames everybody else but himself for the shortcomings of the council" since he took over the place and yet "has not provided any vision or plan for the council."

This compelled the Board to take a unanimous decision not to confirm his appointment, she said.

That notwithstanding, she said, Sekou had shown gross disrespect to the membership of the Board, making reference to a recent interview he granted Joy FM in which he said that government had rejected the National Youth Policy.

She therefore denied the claim that government had directed the Minister of Youth and Sports to draft a new National Youth Policy in two weeks, as suggested by Sekou, adding that he did not demonstrate circumspection in his public utterances.

Born and bred in his father’s Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP), Sekou Nkrumah defected to join the NDC in April 2007.

Sekou said he would relocate to the NDC headquarters where he would have more time to do party work.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, the National Youth Organiser of the CPP, Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr. aka Kabila, ridiculed Sekou’s dismissal, saying that “it shows a government that is not ready to take criticisms from within.”

He believed the Co-ordinator had merely been sacrificed on the altar of truth to appease the whims of party foot-soldiers who had been craving for his dismissal since he made those critical comments about the president’s leadership style, saying “it shows a vindictive president.

“This is again a manifestation that we have only got a president who listens to foot-soldiers and not the concerns of Ghanaians,” he emphasized.