I have no mandate to 'police' Ministers, DCEs -Tarzan

Dr Wereko-Brobby will reappear before the Presidential Commission on Ghana@50 on Thursday

Members of the Presidential Commission probing the Ghana@50 celebrations have criticised the Wereko-Brobby-led Ghana@50 Secretariat for failing to supervise projects embarked on by heads of Regional and District officers.

They argued that the secretariat, having expended monies on behalf of the National Planning Committee should have taken oversight responsibility on how the monies were used in the execution of planned projects.

This was one of many thorny issues that were delved into when the ex-Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Ghana@50 secretariat, Dr Wereko-Brobby appeared for the second time to answer questions, this time on logistics deployed for the celebrations.

In a marathon session which lasted close to five hours, Dr Wereko-Brobby argued that he would not usurp the powers of the political appointees in the various regions and districts.

Mr. Osei Tutu Prempeh, one of three members of the Presidential Commission and a former Auditor General, in summing up the displeasure of the commission to a claim by Dr. Wereko-Brobby that he was not sure the state of some of the projects because they were under the supervision of the DCEs, stated; "Dr Wereku'Brobby earlier on in your presentation you made a statement which I am afraid I don't quite agree to. I beg to disagree. I disagree because as the man in charge, like you were in charge of Ghana@50 Secretariat, though you had a number of people working under you, you would agree that you have the ultimate responsibility to and listen carefully to the word I am going to use here, to monitor activities being done by those under you along the line."

But the response of Dr. Brobby was blunt.
“First of all I do not believe, touching as it does, that I was in the position to regard Regional Ministers or District Chief Executives as anybody under me. If that is what you are referring to, I also beg to disagree with you. These are heads of political administrations acting as the president's representatives. I could not in any shape or form, presume nay assert that they were working under me. I simply carried out instructions of the NPC, which is made up of ministers and is a sub committee of cabinet.”

He said the expectations were that people holding the high office of the president's representative in the region and the districts will act in a way that befits that portfolio, adding it was ideal but not his duty to "police" the activities of the assemblies.

The Chairman of the Commission, Justice Isaac Duose resented the use of the word "police" by the boss of the defunct secretariat and requested his retraction, an offer he obliged.

Whilst proposing that the DCE's and the Regional heads should be made to account for their stewardship, Mr Brobby said the secretariat could not be relied upon to solve the problems that had dogged the local government system for the over 20 years of its existence.

He was among other things asked to bring documentations covering budget of the major works on the independence Square, the considerations in deciding the major works of the square, the total expenditure incurred in the renovation, as well as the status of the square.

He will reappear tomorrow where issues to do with the financial transactions for the celebrations will be drilled.

Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline/Ghana