The Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Professor Steven Adei is under fire for allegedly running the Institute with high-handedness. The respected professor who comes across as a good manager under whose watch the institute has acquired an enviable image for itself and is also credited with transforming GIMPA into one of the best institutions of higher learning in the country from its ‘conference venue’ status. But insiders say all that glitters cannot be gold and that there is more to Prof. Adei than he is openly admired for. Some staff and students say Professor Adei runs the school like a military dictator, and as a result staff and student turnover between 2001 and 2005 was abnormally high. Some of the professor's critics say GIMPA risks a total shutdown if he doesn't change his management style. Adisa Lansah of Joy News has been speaking to staff and students at GIMPA about their leader, but Professor Addae himself will not speak to the allegations against him. GIMPA, previously called Institute of Public Administration, was established in 1961, as a joint Ghana Government and United Nations project. About 60 lecturers are said to have left the Institute, and at the centre of the departures is cited the leadership style of Prof. Adei. His accusers simply see in him a tyrant, and Dr. Dartey, who resigned recently in protest against Prof. Adei’s leadership style, said he should be investigated. “On the outside, GIMPA looks so good because Stephen Adei brags about it, the good things he does but when you are inside GIMPA, it’s hell. GIMPA’s story is so fascinating, it’s so interesting it has to be investigated, it has to be told how a country can be deceived by one person who claims excellence but does not practice anything, anywhere close to excellence. He is such a dictator that he micro-manages everything. He controls everyone, if you don’t leave GIMPA and you continue lecturing there you will become a sycophant or you will you’re your self-esteem.” She said a culture of silence prevails over GIMPA, with spies all over lecture halls. Nana Apraku Cobold, the SRC President of the Institute, said with the Council, Academic and Management Board in place, administrative problems should be resolved internally. But Prof Adei does not stand alone, and his supporters say he is just too resourceful to sit over any rot. Adisa cites for instance the case of Harold Ntorinkansa, a former student at the Greenhill College who believes critics of the professor have no case. For him, Professor Adei is a wonderful leader and one who would drive people to achieve results at all costs. Mr. Ntorinkansa was very close to the Rector during his days at GIMPA and says perhaps his intolerance for non-achievers is being misunderstood by his accusers. “Any leader who is results oriented will not leave things to chance. He will make sure that everybody who is performing under his purview goes according to his set targets. I don’t believe that he is intimidating people. He is the type who listens to people, and he will give you chance to say your side of the story. We see him as the leader and therefore in his presence we not able to bring forward what our views are and that is what people say is intimidating. Maybe he intimidates people with his personality but it is not that he doesn’t listen to people. He does listen a lot. You will be surprised to know today that he listen to even watchmen, security men on the ground he listens to them.” Commenting on the high-profile resignations that have taken place at GIMPA over the years, Mr. Ntorinkansa, an entrepreneur himself, said he has come to appreciate how difficult it is to handle high-level management. He said whatever differences may have caused the alleged high level resignations, it could not be a personality issue, and at worst, Prof Adei has more positive attributes that is the opposite.