Former SSNIT boss explains why he never took a sitting allowance for 7 years
Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, a former director-general of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has disclosed that during his seven years in that role, he never accepted board fees or sitting allowances.
He claimed that there may have been a “conflict of interest” when he turned down all of the aforementioned benefits.
“As a member of the Board of Trustees, I’m entitled to sitting allowances each time I attend a Board Meeting or a Subcommittee meeting.
“That is my entitlement, enshrined in law. But I saw a conflict because I, by and large, determine how many meetings to have in a particular month.
“And if each time I call for a meeting, I get paid, then as you can imagine, something that can be done in one meeting may spill into 2 or more meetings, because I’ll get paid more.
“Therefore, because of this conflict that I saw, I have not collected one pesewa in board fees and sitting allowances during my 7-year tenure as the head of this institution,” 3news.com quoted him to have said during his farewell address to the SSNIT staff on April 15, 2024.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang emphasized how dedicated he is to maintaining ethics and openness in the company.
“I have made my fair share of personal sacrifices for the Trust,” he emphasized.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang stressed his commitment to upholding transparency and ethics inside the organization.
On Wednesday, April 9, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo canceled Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang’s appointment and gave Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo, the son of former senior minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo, control of SSNIT’s operations.