The National Labour Commission (NLC) has ruled in favour of former Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Ken Attafuah, affirming that his dismissal of Martin Akowuah in 2023 was justified.

Mr Akowuah was sacked for unlawfully and unilaterally altering working hours at the NIA’s Madina district office.

Following his dismissal, Mr Akowuah lodged a complaint with the NLC, seeking redress.

However, after a thorough investigation, the Commission concluded on 14 March that Professor Attafuah had acted within the legal framework governing public service employment.

“It is the decision of the Commission that the decision of the Respondent to dismiss the Complainant was in line with the Human Resource Management Policy Framework and Manual for the Ghana Public Service and NIA's SOP on registration, for the unlawful, unilateral and irregular alteration of the working hours of NIA without the due authorization and approval of NIA,” the ruling stated.

In response to the NLC’s verdict, Professor Attafuah maintained that he had always treated employees fairly.

“Mr. Martin Akowuah's allegations that I treated him unfairly run contrary to my nature, and to everything I stand for, and to everything I have done as a human rights advocate here and abroad. I believe I’m fair to a fault, using my training as a lawyer to serve humanity with integrity and to advance good governance in good conscience,” he said in a media interview.

He further lamented the challenges of institutional leadership in Ghana, citing excessive politicisation and misinformation.

“Unfortunately, providing effective institutional leadership is a particularly difficult and challenging enterprise in our part of the world where excessive politicization and personalization of issues, unbridled propaganda and misuse of social and mainstream media often blur clarity, confound the public, suppress the truth, and destroy decent champions of discipline and sound public ethics. Thankfully, as in this case, truth stands, eventually!” he added.