Local governance expert, Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku, has criticised the leadership of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) for initiating what he describes as a needless and illegal strike.
The strike which commenced on February 20, 2025, was called at the instance of the CLOGSAG leadership, in protest of President John Dramani Mahama’s appointment of Samuel Adom Botchway as the Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry.
President Mahama’s appointment of Samuel Adom Botchway according to Alhaji Doku was in accordance with Article 195 of Ghana’s Constitution and Section 2 of the Births and Deaths Registry Act 2020 (Act 1027).
The Act states in the following sections as; (1) “The Registry shall have a Registrar of Births and Deaths (2) The President Shall, in accordance with article 195 of the constitution appoint the Registrar (3) The President shall in appointing a person as the Registrar have regards to the relevant academic qualifications, experience and knowledge of that person in Civil Registration”.
The strike action, which was called to disrupt essential public services across the country has received backlash from the public and drawn criticism from several discontented members of CLOGSAG, igniting a heated debate about its legitimacy and broader implications for governance.
Alhaji Doku, who is also the former Vice President of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), expressed his concerns during an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday.
He noted that the call for such strike actions undermined the principles of constructive dialogue which should exist between organized labour and the government.
It also causes distractions from more pressing issues affecting the civil service staff, such as improving working conditions and enhancing service delivery.
The former Member of the Local Government Service Council raised critical questions about Bampoe-Addo’s silence, during similar appointments made under the previous Akufo-Addo’s administration.
He highlighted the fact that Local Government Service Staff, who make up the bulk of CLOGSAG’s membership, were led by a Head appointed by then-President Nana Akufo-Addo, under the same laws which President Mahama was applying now but wondered why Bampoe-Addo has remained silent since January 7, 2017.
He pointed to the appointment of Dr. Nana Ato Arthur as the former Municipal Chief Executive of Cape Coast within the same region in which Adom Botchway served.
Alhaji Doku queried, “between Dr. Ato Arthur, who in addition served as a former Deputy Central Regional Minister, a former Member of Parliament and the former substantive Central Regional Minister and Mr. Adom Botchway, who only served as District Chief Executive, who is more Politically coloured to Head a Department of the Local Government Service? Or a Head of the whole Local Government Service?”
Alhaji Doku emphasized that President Mahama has done no wrong in appointing Mr. Botchway, who satisfies “the relevant academic qualification, experience, and knowledge in civil registrations.”
The Governance Expert advised the striking staff to return to work or be prepared to face the consequences soon since their action is illegal, and their leadership calls it criminal.
His remarks come amid increasing calls for CLOGSAG to reconsider its stance and return to negotiations with the government.
On March 3, 2025, Prince Latif Oyekunle, Public Relations Officer of dissatisfied CLOGSAG members, urged the government to resist CLOGSAG’s demands, describing them “self-serving.”
He urged the association members to ignore the strike directive and return to work to ensure public services run smoothly.
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
