Stubborn Presidential Staffer Grace Disgracing Akufo-Addo

Works and Housing Minister, Samuel Atta Akyea, has vowed to punish a staff at the Presidency who dehumanised a government worker in the name of the Presidency.

The official whose name was given as Grace, led soldiers to ransack the home of Abdulai Amin, a staff with the Accountant-General's Department.

She was joined in the raid by two others named as Araba and Klutse who are convinced, the employee is an illegal occupant of the building.

In the latest raid, seven military officers stormed his house last Tuesday at dawn.

"They destroyed everything that I have...I asked them why they were doing that and they could not provide any evidence except that they are coming from the Flagstaff House."

The incident has happened three times - April and May and December.

Abdulai Amin said he has been living in the government bungalow since 2013. It was allocated to him by the Works and Housing Ministry in accordance with housing policy for government staff.

When Joy News' Matilda Wemegah visited his home, there were soldiers around the property. Abdulai Amin had some family members and friends to support him.

Pointing to a woman who stood by with some military men, the A-G staff explained, "the lady in red is called Araba. She came this dawn at 1am with the military to break into my room."

Before the latest raid, he had contacted the Deputy Works and Housing Minister, Freda Prempeh, to prove the allocation of the bungalow in compliance with regulations.

"They thought that I am not a government worker", he said.

Following the interaction with the Deputy Minister, he said his name was struck out from a list of illegal occupants of government bungalows.

But the attack happened again last Saturday with a Grace-led invasion of his house repeating the claim, he is not a government worker.

He said the soldiers got him to speak to their "boss" at the Flagstaff House who authorised the raid.

Abdulai Amin said Grace has tried to replace him with a new occupant.

The revelations have incensed the Works and Housing Minister, Samuel Atta Akyea, who condemned the invasion as "distasteful" and "uncivilised".

"Trust me I am going to deal with it. I am going to get to the bottom of this matter," he said and pointed out "the Flagstaff House is not an extension of the Ministry of Works and Housing".

"I don't see why anybody should take it upon himself to evict a government worker," he said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show Friday.

He expressed anger at the culture of vigilantism that often accompanies political transitions in Ghana.

"People have this fixation of acting as they please whenever there is a regime change".

Atta Akyea said he will punish whoever is behind the lawlessness "even if he or she gave birth to the President".

The Minister confirmed Grace Acheampong works at the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Presidency. He explained she assisted the Works and Housing Ministry to conduct a bungalow to bungalow audit of government accommodation.

This was after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government came to office in January 2017. The audit has long been completed and the Ministry no longer works with Grace.

"Grace has never been given the power to evict anybody. If Grace has done something unlawful, she will be sorted out".

"She will be punished. She is disgracing the Presidency," the Minister fumed.

AttaAkyea said he only got to learn of the incident via radio. He said has not been able to speak to the Deputy Minister to get details of the harassment.

The Minister said it is impossible to know of the "minutest details of the day-to-day administration of the Ministry." He said the victim should have at least petitioned him over the matter.

"Let this gentleman come and see me," he said and promised to inform Joy FM of steps he has taken to deal with the matter.

"If you like, I will revert and let you know," he told host Kojo Yankson.