Ursula Owusu Fires Youth And Sports Ministry

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ursula Owusu has fired a salvo at the Sports Ministry over recent reports that the Ministry overspent huge amounts of money in the 2012 fiscal year. Ursula Owusu, contributing in a panel discussion programme on Oman FM Wednesday morning, slammed the Sports Ministry over recent reports that the Ministry mismanaged huge sums of money in the 2011 Maputo games, describing the conduct as a �naked rape of the resources of the country�. She therefore demanded that the Sports Committee renders an account on the activities that led to the enormous expenditure. The Youth and Sports Ministry was reported to have misappropriated funds to a tune of GHC 200million in 2012 and is faced with a challenge to account for its expenses. It would also be recalled that the Ministry set up a Committee presided by Nii Adotey Din Barima to investigate the circumstances that led to the embarrassing feat of the national athletics team during the 2011 All African games in Maputo-Mozambique. The report indicted the former Head of the National Sports Authority, Mr. Worlanyo Agrah and the Chief Sports Development Officer of the Sports Authority, Mr. Erasmus Adorkor, who were said to have misappropriated some funds allocated for the athletics team. Though the sector Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, on the floor of Parliament yesterday indicated that the Ministry has given an ultimatum to the members to respond to the allegations or face prosecution, the NPP MP has expressed disappointment in the Ministry for harbouring such malfeasance. The dissatisfied Ablekuma North MP, Ursula Owusu believed the delayed disclosure may be an attempt to conceal the misconduct in order to protect the government. To her, the Sports Ministry �from beginning to end� is �riddled with incompetence, inefficiency, corruption, and thievery. For me, it is a naked rape of the resources of the country, supervised by Worlanyo Agrah who has a reputation.� She called on the Ministry to get to the bottom of the case since the allegations are disgracing the country.