Frank Adobah, a former Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has strongly objected to recommendations by the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) to amend Article 232(1) of the 1992 Constitution to reduce the Commission’s membership.
The CRC has proposed that the NCCE be composed of only a Commissioner and two Deputy Commissioners, effectively removing the provision for “four other members” of the Commission.
Mr Adobah said the proposed amendment, if implemented, could undermine the effectiveness of the NCCE, stressing that the three Commissioners relied heavily on the experience and guidance of the four other members in the discharge of their constitutional mandate.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the recent submission of the CRC Report to President John Dramani Mahama, Mr Adobah noted that the four other members played critical advisory roles and contributed significantly to policy direction and institutional balance within the Commission.
“The work of the four other members cannot be underestimated. They serve as a reservoir of experience and provide guidance that strengthens the independence and operations of the Commission,” he said.
Mr Adobah, who previously served as Volta and Central Regional Director of the NCCE, suggested that if the CRC believed the current arrangement compromised the Commission’s independence, the four members could be reconstituted as a formal advisory board rather than removed entirely.
Sharing similar views, Mr Patrick Asiedu, a former Deputy Regional Director of the NCCE, also called for the retention of the four other members in the Commission’s structure.
He explained that the members were not merely ceremonial appointees but individuals with diverse professional backgrounds who advised and counselled the Commissioner and the two Deputies on key programmes and activities.
“Their removal will do more harm than good to the Commission,” Mr Asiedu cautioned.
He further proposed that, should the CRC consider the positions no longer relevant in their current form, the members could be repositioned as a Board of Advisors to maintain institutional memory and expert input.
Mr Asiedu pointed out that other independent constitutional bodies such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Electoral Commission (EC) retained similar structures with additional members.
He argued that the NCCE should not be treated differently.
Despite their concerns, the two former directors expressed support for other CRC recommendations, particularly the proposed amendment to Article 233 to expand the NCCE’s functions.
They welcomed proposals for the Commission to organise national presidential debates, convene periodic civic fora, and hold town hall-style meetings in local communities to enhance engagement between Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and Members of Parliament.
They said such expanded functions would deepen democratic participation, strengthen civic education and promote accountability in governance.
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