Sports journalist, Patrick Osei Agyeman, popularly known as Countryman Songo has said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo “goofed” with his answer to a question regarding the government white paper on Ghana’s participation in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
President Akufo-Addo told journalists on Wednesday, 17 January that he had forgotten about the white paper issued on the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Ghana’s 2014 World Cup participation.
“On these matters, truth is usually the best answer. To be honest, I’ve forgotten about the 2014 White Paper but I have no doubt my Minister of Sports is fully up to it and will advise, in due course, what should be the reaction of me and the government to it, but it has not been something that is very much on my radar,” the president said at his second encounter with the media at the Flagstaff House.
The John Mahama-led government in 2015 released a white paper on the report which called for investigations to ascertain claims of losses totalling $1,002,000 during Ghana’s matches with Cape Verde, Nigeria, and Togo ahead of the Brazil tournament.
It also called for a probe into claims by the GFA that an amount of $350,000 it received from Ghana’s friendly match with Japan was used to offset the deficit incurred in the Ghana – Cape Verde qualifying match.
Other issues to be probed included whether match fees for the Ghana –Holland and Ghana – South Korea friendly matches were eventually paid by the match agents or organisers after the request by Cabinet to the Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC) to fund the matches; and how the funds were applied.
Countryman Songo, who posed that particular question to the president, said on his ‘Fire for Fire’ programme on Adom TV on Thursday, 18 January 2018 that: “To be honest, Mr President you goofed big time on this matter.
“You were in this country when the taxpayer’s money was used to set up a commission and today you are saying to be honest you have forgotten about the report. Fire burn the president in a professional way.
“He never forgot about that commission when the NPP was looking for power. A very sensitive document like that, the sports minister cannot brief the president about it? Useless Sports Minister.”
He added: “If, indeed, the president is interested in corruption, then he must take the white paper seriously because we are talking about something that borders on corruption.”
Source: classfmonline.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
@Olele. You NDC guys can say whatever you like. Only the uniformed and the subjective will say 'There was no wisdom in changing Mahama'. Sports is important to the nation but truth be said it is not a security concern and if weighted, sectors like economy, power, food, security, environment and others may be scored 10 while sports will be 5 on a scale of importance of 1 to 10. As the Akan adage goes 'y3 y3 nea ehia ansa na ya y3 nea 3fata'. To wits needs come before wants. The president is more concerned of an economy in shambles, how to create jobs for the teeming youth in order to make families work and a lot of others, and if he is frank enough to say with his preoccupation with these other problems the white paper is out of his radar, what on earth is wrong with that? If you NDC guys have planned not to reason that is your problem.
The president was honest .He said he had forgotten about the report. Where is the goof then?Would you have been satisfied if he had lied and said'Oh that report? We are taking a serious look at it and you will hear from us soon'?Remember someone else commissioned the enquiry.What did that person do about the report?This is just another one of those louts masquerading as journalists.I really do not see the relevance of this man's programme on tv. But as usual in Ghana a donkey can b made to look like a stallion.
konas, if the President had been asked such a question in a presidential debate would he had answer it in the manner he did?
So this guy call him self journalist?
@Paa Willie & @Kwei Just bcos your party is in power, nobody should criticize your govt and you people run down anybody who criticizes your govt into the gutter.Remember HE Nana is being reminded of the massive juicy promises he gave ghanaians during the campaign. You think it is easy giving month watering promises, he is now telling us that he has forgotten this one, all bcos the promises were tooooooooooo many. People will keep on reminding him till the next election and that will inform their voting pattern. NDC lost bocs they could not give such gangantua promises.
Who is akuffo addo that he can't be judged on this issue? Is he the Holy Spirit or he is Father Abraham? Wasn't he the one ranting around prior to the 2016 elections that he was going to fight corruption? He has failed big time. I thought the way akuffo addo suffered his way to be president, he was going to do things so differently. There was no wisdom in changing Mahama. Akuffo addo is just a hypocrite.
AT TIMES I WONDER IF PEOPLE UNDERSTAND POLITICS... YOU THINK ONCE YOUR SO CALLED ACCLAIMED PARTY IS IN POWER THEY CANT BE CRITICIZED WHEN THEY DO SOMETHING WRONG?? POLITICIANS ARE NOT PEOPLE TO BE DEFENDED.. AN OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR WAS SET UP TO DEAL WITH PAST AND PRESENT CORRUPT OFFICIALS AND YOU ARE SAYING YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE WC WHITE PAPER...WHY DIDN'T HE FORGET ABOUT WOYOME'S MONEY AND THE PROCUREMENT BROUHAHA.. @PAA WILLIE IF YOU THINK THE PRESENT GOVT DIDN'T START WITH THE WC WHITE PAPER.. I HOPE U KNOW THEY DIDN'T START WITH WOYOMES CASE TOO SO ALL PAST CORRUPT OFFICIALS SHOULD NOT BE TRIALED THEN.. YOUTH LET'S THINK BECAUSE POLITICS IS BLINDING US AND WE WILL ALWAYS BE USED AS A STEPPING STONE BY THIS POLITICIANS... BE WISE CHECK THE PROS AND CONS IN SITUATIONS AND STOP BEING POLITICAL BIASED.. COUNTRYMAN SONGO U HAVE SAID IT ALL .. BIG UPS
This man is living in his own world and things he can pull the entire country into his lunacy of ranting and raving on TV. I wonder who employed him and pays him for all these ***barred word*** noises he makes. Songoman your programme has no relevance. You think football is all that we should be thinking about when we need money for education?
hahaha country man make i laugh
Actually, I am surprised that this Songo will judge the President on this issue and make trouble out of it. Someone else commissioned this report and paid monies to have it done. What did he do with the report? Do you think this report is the most important thing in this country? What kind of ***barred word*** is this? When the economy is on its knees and there are issues about power, fuel, NHIS etc etc And you want us to believe that the President has to talk about a report which is three years old otherwise you will not be satisfied with him???