It has emerged that two senior National Democratic Congress (NDC) members had described President John Evans Atta Mills as surrounding himself with mediocre advisors.
According to Wikileaks, the notorious whistle blower website, Johnson Asiedu Nketia aka General Mosquito, NDC General Secretary, and Alban Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, had told United States Embassy officials that �Mills has surrounded himself with inexperienced advisors who are providing poor counsel�, confirming the assertion of Jerry John Rawlings, former President and NDC founder that Prof Mills�s appointees were mediocre.
The NDC gurus went on to tell the US Ambassador, Donald Teitelbaum, on December 10 and 11, 2009 that the mediocre advisors were �failing to ensure inter-ministerial coordination�.
So far, names like Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry; Baba Jamal, a deputy Minister of Information; Fiifi Kwetey, a deputy Minister of Finance, and others have popped up as having made statements to diplomats probably for political expediency.
The rest are Akrasi Sarpong, the Executive Secretary of Narcotics Control Board; Ben Ephson, a self-acclaimed pollster and Editor of Daily Dispatch; Kwesi Pratt, Managing Editor of Insight, with the latest batch of loose-talkers being Asiedu Nketia, Bagbin, and Mahama Ayariga.
After meeting President Mills on December 9, 2009 in a crucial meeting at the Castle, the cables said, �both Nketia and Bagbin said that the NDC�s success in the next election will be based on its performance in government, and that the party must overcome its current divisions if it wishes to remain in power�.
Alban Bagbin
�Bagbin said participants voiced concern that Mills has surrounded himself with young and inexperienced advisors who are not providing good counsel. Bagbin was particularly critical of the President�s communication team, singling out Spokesman Mahama Ayariga and the Information Minister (Zita Okaikoi) as ineffective (reftel).�
�Bagbin noted that as Majority leader (as he then was) he is responsible for carrying out the government�s agenda in Parliament, but said that there has been poor coordination between the government and Parliament.�Bagbin also cited poor coordination between different ministries, and said the exclusion of the Information Minister from the Cabinet has aggravated the government�s inability to present a coherent message.�
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