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Mr Paul Kwesi Ahiakpor
Mr Paul Kwesi Ahiakpor

‘Don’t use transfers and posting as punishment’

The outgoing Tamale Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr Paul Kwesi Ahiakpor, has admonished heads of public services institutions against using transfers and postings to the northern part of the country as a tool for punishing subordinates who express dissenting opinions at the work place. 

He said: " I was transfered to Tamale as punishment for my refusal to accept posting to a defunct unit in the service but rather I came to my punishment grounds to excel in revenue collection and mobilisation."

The retiring sector commander made this remarks at a send-off party organised in his honour in Tamale last Saturday.

Transfers/Posting

Mr Ahiakpor, who is also a lawyer, said superior officers, especially in the security services, deemed transfers as a way of settling personal scores with subordinates who had innovative ideas but were rather perceived as “rebels".

Illustrious carrier

Touching on his short period of work in the north, he said he took over as the Tamale sector commander on December 5, 2017, a sector which hardly met its annual revenue target, but on December 31, 2018 , Tamale collection met and exceeded its revenue target by a whooping 171 per cent.

He said the Tamale Collection, under his watch, was ending the 2019 financial year meeting and exceeding its revenue target by over 200 per cent.

He commended the gallant officers at the sector for a job well done .

Mr Ahiakpor began his public service life in May 1985 with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and was granted a departmental transfer from the BNI to the newly created Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) in April 1988.

He served in various capacities in the Takoradi, Tema, Menusu, Honuta, Kotoka International Airport (KIA), James Town Accra Collection and the legal department of CEPS.

He served as the Chief Revenue Officer in charge of Maersk Container Terminal, the Gateway Services Scanner Department and the Preventive Unit.

Mr Ahiakpor also served as the Sector Commander for Kumasi and Ho in 2015 and 2017 where revenue collection hardly met its targets but was able to exceed revenue targets.

Mr Ahiakpor, who turned 60 years on Friday, November 22, 2019, has served in the public service for 34 years.
He used the occasion to advise public servants to be wise, plan and prepare for their retirement.

Appreciation

The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Salifu Saeed, who is also the chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) of which Mr Ahiakpor was a member, suggested to the management of the Customs Division of the GRA to tap into the rich experience of the retiree in the area of revenue collection and mobilisation.

According to him, Mr Ahiakpor had demonstrated his immense capabilities of always exceeding revenue targets in sector commands he served.

The officers and men of the Tamale Sector Command presented a citation with his portrait to him for his excellent and exemplary leadership.

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