The University of Ghana Chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG-UG) has called for the immediate resignation of the Auditor General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu accusing him of overseeing an unethical and misleading audit process that has damaged the university’s credibility.
At a press briefing held on Tuesday, May 20, UTAG-UG General Secretary Jerry Joe Harrison openly condemned the conduct of the Auditor-General and his team.
He stated that the audit process breached all acceptable standards of professional accountability and was executed in a way that undermines the integrity of the university and its staff.
“This report, as distasteful as it is, is simply predicated on the poor job that was done by the audit service. The standards of auditing, in our opinion, have plummeted in recent years, and if care is not taken, they will have serious consequences for the nation,” Jerry Joe Harrison.
He alleged that the Auditor-General’s office had acted in bad faith, placing more emphasis on public optics than on professional integrity.
“It appears to us that the audit service is more interested in appearing to be working rather than doing the right thing, and in so doing, they ignore ethical standards that guide their profession.”
The uproar stemmed from a special payroll verification audit released by the Auditor-General’s office, which claimed that the University of Ghana overstated employee compensation by a staggering GH¢59.2 million between 2022 and 2024.
The revelation, published without prior engagement with university authorities, has been strongly contested by UTAG-UG, which described the report as inaccurate, unethical, and professionally damaging.
Furthermore, UTAG-UG maintained that the University of Ghana was never given an opportunity to review or respond to the audit findings before the report was made public.
The association emphasized that this omission constitutes a gross violation of ethical auditing procedures and international best practices.
“And for the Auditor-General to sit in his office and preside over such an institution that disregards ethical standards and standard practice, we are hereby calling for the resignation of the Auditor-General, honorably, or we will petition the President for him to be removed.”
The union emphasized that its call for the Auditor-General’s resignation is not rooted in personal animosity but in a deeper concern over the deteriorating standards of public auditing in Ghana.