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Former Deputy Information Minister in the erstwhile Mahama Administration, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has stated emphatically it "does not make sense" that President Akufo-Addo has appointed 125 ministers or no meaningful accomplishment when his predecessor, ex-President John Dramani Mahama embarked on unprecedented projects with just 88 ministers. 

According to him, former President Mahama hit the nail right on the head by stating what many Ghanaians including leading members of the ruling NPP can even attest to, when he (Mahama) said despite Akufo-Addo's outrageous number of ministers, their performance have been abysmal. 

Mahama, who is seeking to lead Ghana as president again, said there is no justification for the creation of some of the ministerial portfolios under the Akufo-Addo government, and asked that about 40 Ministers and Deputy Ministers need to go to ensure efficiency.

Speaking during a closed-door meeting with some supposed ‘disappointed’ business owners and importers in his office on Monday, the former President complained about the government’s increasing budget overruns.

“The Senior Minister, Minister of State in the Office of Vice President, Minister of State in the Office of Senior Minister, Ministers for Procurement, Monitoring and Evaluation, Business Development, Special Initiatives, Aviation, Railway Development are all an unnecessary charge on the public purse”, John Mahama stated.

Reiterating the former president's comments, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who is aspiring to be the NDC's Parliamentary candidate for Abura-Asebu Kwamankese Constituency, told Kwame Nkrumah Tikese, host of "Ade Akye Abia" Morning Show on Okay FM in an interview that, “Mahama has stated what the obvious truth is. 

To him, the justification given by government's communication machinery for keeping these huge number of ministers, "does not make sense". 

“...there is nothing new the railway minster has done which supersedes what former President Mahama did for the railway industry. The biggest railway projects which have come to Ghana under the fourth Republic were done by former President Mahama and his government of 88 ministers.” 

“...former President Mahama took a loan of over 300 million dollars from the Indian Exim Bank to construct the Tema to Akosombo railway lines and that is what President Akufo-Addo is using to reconstruct the railway lines and not because of the 125 ministers he has appointed....most of the projects by the Akufo-Addo government in the railway sector are just lip-service”, he jabbed.

He asserted that President Akufo-Addo is not doing anything extraordinary which will require these huge numbers of ministers. 

“When former President Mahama was in power, the railway sector was under the Ministry of Transport but if you look at the kind of work the Transport Minister and his one deputy did in the railway sector, it supersedes what has been done under President Akufo-Addo’s Railway Development Minister...if you look at Aviation which was also under the Transport Ministry in the Mahama regime, we constructed brand new Terminal 3 with ultra-modern features which befit international standards and cannot be found anywhere else in the whole of West Africa. We again renovated the Terminal 2 arrival hall expanding it to meet international standards...

“All these projects were started by two ministers, the Minister of Transport and his Deputy Minister and so if the NPP tries to paint a picture of something spectacular and mega being executed by President Akufo-Addo thus the need for these numerous ministers, it just does not make sense," he reiterated.

To him, the only explanation he can think of is that President Akufo-Addo has the power now to do whatever he wants; by appointing all these ministers as compensation for helping him win the 2016 election.

“Apart from this reason I have given you for the appointment of these huge ministers, any other explanation given by the NPP does not make sense”, he insisted.