Mr Happiness: Ghanaian Man in the Netherlands Slams Mahama Over Teacher Arrears
- Mr Happiness has turned heads online after he commented on the protest by teachers at the Ministry of Finance in Accra, demanding the payment of salary arrears
- In a video, he lashed out at John Mahama over the salary arrears owed to these teachers and urged that they be paid
- Social media users who took to the comment section of the video have also shared their views on the salary arrears owed to the teachers
Popular Netherlands-based Ghanaian social media personality Kofi Gabs, alias Mr Happiness, has called out President John Mahama over the unpaid salary arrears of some teachers.
A video on his TikTok page on April 15 showed him looking visibly sad as he listened to the concerns of one of the teachers who joined her colleagues to protest over their unpaid arrears spanning over a year.
Source: UGC
Sharing his view on the matter, Mr Happiness, who actively campaigned for John Mahama in the 2024 elections, said the government’s failure to pay the teachers raises concerns about whether Ghana as a country places prominence on education.
He opined that even though these teachers are owed salaries, the government may find it necessary to allocate funds for other things, such as the country’s next Independence Day celebration.
Labelling the whole situation unfortunate, Mr Happiness called on President Mahama to ensure that the concerns of these teachers are addressed.
“Teachers who are teaching kids, and you are unable to pay them,are you guys not ashamed of yourselves? Your Excellency, you know I admire you, and that is why I campaigned for you. What I am saying is, pay teachers. Even if you cannot settle all their arrears, give them assurances. That is leadership.”
Arrears owed to Ghanaian teachers
The Coalition of Unpaid Teachers picketed at the Ministry of Finance to demand payment of their salary arrears on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
The unpaid teachers, clad in red and black attire, held placards to drum home their demands and voice their grievances.
Eugene Zoranu Segbefia, the National Organiser of the coalition, who spoke to the media, said some of the teachers have worked for 18 months without pay.
He further explained that they have had several engagements with the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Finance without making any headway regarding their unpaid salaries.
Source: Facebook
At the time of writing this report, the video had generated over 4,000 likes and 300 comments.
Watch the TikTok video below:
Reactions to unpaid teacher salaries
Social media users who took to the comments section of the video have commended Mr Happiness for adding his voice to the issue.
venom stated:
“Were you not his campaign manager?”
PROUD FIREFIGHTER'S WIFE opined:
“I will always praise NPP. I completed in 2018 and got posted in December 2019. When COVID came and there was a lockdown in 2020, we stayed at home but received all arrears and our salary every month. For this, I stand up and applaud the NPP.”
Kodʑɥo Sika wrote:
“NDC government did the same thing to us in 2014. We taught for a whole year and were paid for only three months.”
somiahisaac92 added:
“These are key issues Kelvin Taylor must tackle, not the senseless issues he has been talking about. What a tragedy. Bro, I am very sad.”
Betaman Osei Samuel added:
“I love that you speak positively on issues. I completed school two years ago, but instead of placing me on the right scale, I am still on my old level. The NDC government is not for government workers, I guess. This is unfair.”
Government to recruit 7,000 new teachers
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the government had closed its recruitment portal for teachers after receiving 40,000 applications for just 7,000 positions.
Education Minister Iddrisu explained that budget constraints have hindered plans to hire 50,000 teachers across the country.
Source: YEN.com.gh
