Founder of the UP Tradition Institute, Dr Razak Kojo Opoku, has called on the government to withhold ex-gratia payments to former government appointees until outstanding obligations to certain groups are fully settled.
Dr Opoku said beneficiaries of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCo), teachers, nurses and bondholders should first be paid before the government proceeds with ex-gratia payments to former appointees under the immediate past New Patriotic Party (NPP) by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He made the appeal in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
Dr Opoku also proposed a 70% haircut on the ex-gratia payments due to all former appointees, arguing that such a measure would enable them to experience what pensioners and bondholders went through during Ghana’s recent economic difficulties.
He further called for former appointees who have travelled outside the country to evade accountability to be excluded from receiving ex-gratia payments.
According to him, the proposed measures would promote fairness and ensure that public resources are prioritised for settling outstanding obligations and addressing the concerns of affected citizens.
Meanwhile, a former Legal Counsel to ex-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Kow Essuman, has given Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson until Friday, September 11, 2026, to settle his outstanding salary arrears and terminal benefits or face legal action.
Lawyers for Mr Essuman, in a letter dated September 8, 2026, said their client has been awaiting payment of his entitlements since leaving office on January 7, 2025, after serving as Legal Counsel to the former President.
According to the lawyers, Mr Essuman is entitled to four months’ consolidated salary for every completed year or part thereof served, an installation grant equivalent to one month’s salary, and a resettlement grant of one month’s salary for each year or fraction of a year served.
They contend that the continued delay in paying the benefits is unjustified, particularly as other former public office holders, including Members of Parliament, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), have received their corresponding entitlements.
The lawyers have therefore formally demanded that the Finance Ministry pay the outstanding amount together with interest calculated from January 7, 2025, to the date of full settlement at the prevailing commercial bank rate.
They are also relying on the Presidential (Transition) Act, which provides for the payment, without undue delay, of outstanding salaries and retiring benefits due to Article 71 office holders.
The lawyers said Mr Essuman has made several representations to the authorities concerning the unpaid benefits but has yet to receive payment.
They warned that failure to settle the claim by the September 11 deadline would result in legal proceedings against the State to recover the outstanding principal amount, accrued interest and legal costs.
“Furthermore, we demand that the outstanding amount and interest be paid in full on or before Friday, 11th September 2026.
Our Client remains willing to resolve this matter without recourse to litigation,” the lawyers stated.
They added: “However, if the outstanding entitlement is not paid by Friday, September 11, 2026, we have our Client’s firm instructions to commence proceedings against the State to recover the outstanding principal amount, interest, and costs, without further recourse to the Ministry.”
Despite the threat of legal action, Mr Essuman remains willing to resolve the matter administratively, his lawyers said.
