If Mahama truly wanted to enforce discipline, he should have dismissed all of them — Charles Owusu

Reverend Charles Owusu, a former Monitoring Head at the Forestry Commission and a prominent advocate for accountability in governance, has criticized President John Dramani Mahama for not taking stronger action against appointees who missed the March 31, 2025, deadline to declare their assets.

According to GhanaWeb, Owusu acknowledged that due to staggered appointment dates, some individuals might have had justifiable reasons for not meeting the original deadline.

However, he insisted that those who ignored the directive should have been publicly identified and relieved of their duties to reinforce a culture of responsibility within government.

During an interview on Peace FM on May 7, 2025, Owusu questioned the lack of transparency around the officials whose salaries the president said would be diverted to support the Mahama Cares initiative.

He emphasized that revealing their identities and enforcing disciplinary action would have demonstrated the administration’s commitment to accountability.

“The president did not disclose their identities, but I believe that if he truly wanted to enforce discipline, he should have dismissed all of them to prove that he meant his words,” he stated.

Although the president later granted an extension for asset declarations until May 7, 2025, he issued a firm warning that anyone who failed to comply by the new date would face automatic dismissal.