<<Print>>Adom FM’s News Editor, Afua Poka has taken a swipe at the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) describing the body as "useless."
Vim Lady as she is known description of the body comes in the wake of the weak defence offered by the body’s President, Affail Monney of the vehicle offered to some members of the Presidential Press Corps while on a Presidential assignment.
The vehicle was later involved in an accident in which Ghanaian Times reporter, Samuel Nuamah was killed and many other journalists maimed.
The other journalists including GTV’s Napoleon Ato Kitoe has blamed the accident on the vehicle which he argued was not in the best of conditions.
The veteran presidential correspondent said that the travelling journalists had two close shaves while returning from Ho before they were finally involved in the accident at Afienya in the Greater Accra region.
But GJA President, Affail Monney after a meeting with the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah concluded that there was no wrongdoing.
He told Joy News’ Manasseh Azure Awuni that the vehicle hired for the journalists was in good condition.
According to him, this will not be the first time the presidency through the transport officer has done business with the car rental company, so there is no doubt due process was followed.
“The Chief of Staff assured that it was purely an accident and the state of the vehicle could not be blamed neither the driver,” he said.
In a response to whether he was satisfied with the Chief of Staff’s assertions even though his reporter (Affail Monney works at GBC), Ato Kittoe had said something to the contrary, Mr Monney said, “I am inclined to believe that he [Chief of Staff] was candid with what he said”.
He added that after a separate investigation by the Association, it became apparent that the car rental company where the vehicle - described by the journalists as rickety - was rented, was a responsible company.
Mr. Monney quoted a presidential staffer, Wisdom Awuku who was not in the vehicle when the accident occurred him as saying Napoleon was sleeping when the accident occurred and could not have monitored or observed happened.
Some senior editors have criticised the GJA president for his comments.
They claim that the leadership of GJA cannot believe the account of the presidency more than the journalists involved in the accident and must ensure the safety of the presidential reporters is guaranteed.
“Whatever Mr Debrah has told Affail Monney which he prefers to believe as gospel as opposed to what his reporters have told him must be very interesting. He has no justification in believing the chief of staff. I am hugely surprised and he should better tell us why he believes a politician as opposed to his colleagues who have given him enough briefing”, News editor at TV Africa, A.C. Ohene said.
News Editor at Accra-based Peace FM, Akwasi Agyeman said, “I am disappointed by what the GJA president said. I don’t think it is fair for the president to believe the account of the presidency rather than what the victims have said. It is time for the GJA to sit up and push for things to be done for journalists."
Head of Metro TV News, Eric Ahianyo also said, “I don’t think anybody apart from those involved in the accident can give us a better account of what happened, their account is more authentic than any other someone will give us”.
Mr Ahianyo believes that an independent investigation should be conducted into the issue because someone at the presidency must be punished for what happened.
And Afua Pokua who was never backed by the GJA when she was attacked by officials of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) believes the criticisms are fair insisting that the GJA has become a ‘toothless bulldog.’
“It’s true, they are just controlled and they sit down idle, someone wins Best Journalist and gets nothing while even a common Miss Legon receives a vehicle as reward…they are useless…,” she said on Joy FM.