Bawumia’s Warning: A Call to Shield Public Workers Amid a Storm of Dismissals

Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has delivered a stark warning to President John Mahama, decrying what he sees as a systematic assault on Ghana’s public service.

In a forceful Facebook post on February 19, Bawumia lamented that the latest wave of dismissals—targeting not only political appointees but also seasoned directors and critical personnel such as security officers, nurses, and teachers—betrays the very promise of job creation that the ruling party once championed.

Bawumia argues that these terminations are far from routine administrative reshuffling. Instead, they amount to punitive measures designed to sideline public servants whose careers have been upended simply because of their perceived political associations or ties to the previous administration. “The livelihoods of countless professionals are being destroyed, and with them, the trust that underpins our democratic institutions,” he wrote, underscoring a deep-seated concern that these actions could exacerbate the nation’s unemployment crisis.

The controversy has quickly become a national flashpoint. Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has formally petitioned President Mahama to reverse the dismissals, asserting that they constitute a form of political persecution. Meanwhile, Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party, has escalated the matter to the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the government’s move.

In response, Minister of State for Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu defended the revocations, insisting that they were not driven by partisan bias but by undeniable irregularities in the recruitment process. Speaking to journalists in Accra, Ofosu highlighted troubling anomalies: backdated appointment letters meant to fabricate a longer tenure than actually existed, along with instances where candidates were hired without proper interviews or even formal applications. “We cannot allow a system where due process is bypassed. The integrity of our public service demands that any recruitment be conducted fairly and transparently,” he stated, promising that a new, open recruitment process will soon offer affected workers a chance to reapply on equal footing.

As the debate intensifies, the contrasting positions lay bare a fundamental tension in Ghana’s governance. On one side, there is a determined effort to restore order and fiscal discipline by scrapping flawed appointments. On the other, voices like Bawumia’s warn that a heavy-handed approach risks dismantling the very backbone of public service and eroding trust in state institutions. The outcome of this clash will likely have far-reaching implications—not only for the stability of the civil service but also for the nation’s broader democratic health.

In a time when every public sector job counts, the call is clear: safeguard the rights and dignity of Ghana’s public workers, ensuring that administrative reforms do not come at the expense of those who keep the country running.