Handling of 499 law students’ admission impasse earns Attorney General 2021 Best Minister award
The Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame has been adjudged the Best Minister of State in the Akufo-Addo administration for the year 2021 by the FAKS Investigative Services.
His performance and choice according to FAKS, was largely influenced by the way and manner in which he handled the amicable resolution of the impasse between the General Legal Council (GLC) and the aggrieved 499 law students who were denied admission into the Ghana School of Law after they attained the pass mark of 50, set by the GLC.
Yaw Sarpong, leader of FAKS Investigative Services, presenting a plaque to the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, in his office on the, 5 April 2022, noted that, in their survey on the performance of President Akufo-Addo’s appointees, the AG scored very high marks for the skill he employed in getting all 499 law students to be admitted into the Ghana School of Law (Mokola).
Some other issues that came to bear from the respondents during the survey apart from the admission of 499 law students, included Ghana winning the Norway Chancery case, as well as the transformation of the Registrar General Department.
The Attorney General
The AG, Godfred Yeboah Dame, in his brief remarks after accepting the award, said the main challenge he encountered during negotiations with the GLC on the way forward, was the competing interests of the GLC, which was the body responsible for the decision that had been taken not to admit the students, and the legitimate demands of the 499 students.
He noted that during the negotiations, he employed the same zealousness with which he practiced in private life to his public duty to find a lasting solution to what was clearly an unfair treatment meted out against the 499 students.
The award given to him, the AG noted, is a reminder to him that the office of the Attorney General “stands in the gap when it comes to the attainment of accountability, promotion of good governance and the creation of a sound atmosphere for the conduct of business in the country”.
“I am mindful of the very important role that this ministry plays and I am always prepared as I said, to use the best of my abilities to promote the attainment of the object of good governance that the President has set for himself,” the Attorney General, Godfred Dame said.
FAKS Investigative Services
The annual FAKS Investigative Services survey, apart from focusing on Ministers and their deputies, also includes the performance of Members of Parliament and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the country.
Mainly, the survey focused on opinions from the public, assessment from the ministries, agencies, as well as information from the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs).
The public, who are the main respondents, contribute largely to the outcome of the survey, especially concerning the Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Regional Ministers and the CEOs of state institutions.
The FAKS team is made up of researchers, media practitioners and academia, who do the assessment based on the outcome of the findings they receive.
The 2021 survey took place between the months of October and December, 2021 and it was the 10th edition since FAKS started the project.
Respondents for the survey were, journalists, students, traders, traditional rulers, teachers, business owners, civil society organizations (CSOs), drivers, academia, among others.
About 69% of the respondents were between the ages of 18 and 55 while the remaining 31% were between the ages of 56 and 77.
Ashanti Region recorded the highest respondents, followed by Greater Accra Region, Western Region, Eastern, Central, Volta, Bono, Oti, Western North, Bono East, Upper East, Upper West, Savanna, Ahafo, North East and Northern regions respectively.
