I haven’t received my salary as Creative Arts Director at NCC for 5 years – Socrate Safo

Socrate Safo, a movie producer and former Director of Creative Arts at the National Commission on Culture, has disclosed that he went without a salary during his five years at the state agency.

Safo made this revelation during a panel discussion on Peace FM on August 17.

His comments came in response to grievances from musicians Nicholas Omane Acheampong and Isaiah Kwadwo Ampong, who recently expressed dissatisfaction over feeling neglected by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) despite their support during the party’s rise to power.

“I was appointed to serve at the National Commission on Culture. When I got there, I met an abandoned place. None of the workers were in their office because the building had become a death trap. So I went in and fixed the whole place to make it safe. I did a whole lot of programs within the creative arts front with my own money because there was no money there. There was not a single computer at the commission. I got some computers and two printers to go and revamp the whole place, including electricity, with my own money. I did programmes with my own money and not government budget, but while I did all these, I was not being paid. Whenever I pursued my salary, I was told we were working on it,” Safo narrated.

He continued: “I was in the office when I was informed that somebody had come there with a letter that she’s been appointed to be the substantive head of the Commission. People vowed to resist my removal. When the woman came, I sat with her, and it emerged that she was given the appointment letter by one of the then Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Asenso Boakye. Initially, I was the Executive Secretary of the Commission, and that position was given to her, and I was moved to Director of Creative Arts at the Commission.

For all the time I worked there, I chased my salaries, but I was not paid a dime. I have chased my salaries to date; I have even taken the matter to the Labour Commission before. For five years I have never been paid; no salary for even a month.”
Safo shared his own frustrations, detailing how he and other creative arts professionals contributed their own resources to campaign for the NPP.

When he was appointed to the National Commission on Culture following the party’s 2016 electoral victory, he found the office in disrepair.

The building was unsafe, and he personally funded repairs and improvements, including acquiring computers and printers.

Despite his significant contributions, Safo was not paid for his work. He pursued his salary repeatedly but was met with excuses and delays.

He even took his case to the Labour Commission but to no avail. Safo expressed his ongoing support for the NPP, citing its effective governance policies as his motivation, though he criticized the party for its failure to support its grassroots workers adequately.

Safo urged the NPP to better acknowledge and reward the dedication of those who work hard at the grassroots level to help the party achieve its goals.

Source: tigpost