In the past couple of days, the hardworking Sports Minister, Hon. Mahama Ayariga has come under a deluge of media and civil society attacks over claims that he used offensive words against the media referring to their questions as ‘useless’ and urging them to ask useful questions on the just ended Africa Cup of nations.
Many have described Ayariga’s comment as unbecoming of somebody who is paid by the public to serve them and therefore must step from the brink and apologize to the affected media personnel and move on.
Some have even gone to the extreme by calling on President Mahama to relieve the Sports Minister of his post or even he must resign honorably.
Ayariga on his part has been obstinate, insisting that he has not wronged anybody and therefore will continue using harsh words to describe the behaviour of certain journalists in the country if they continue on their path towards undermining the good work of the Government of President John Dramani Mahama.
He was amazed how the Ghanaian media can criticize public officials and other members of society while they are impervious to criticisms from other members of the society.
The aL-hAJJ is solidly behind the Sports Minister in this ‘HOLY STRUGGLE’ against media inefficiency, laziness, arrogance, pomposity, tyranny and even terrorism in this country.
It is true and undeniable that one of the cardinal principles of democracy is press freedom and media plurality. This nation has since 1992 espoused these democratic tenets. But one limitation which in itself is a threat to the democracy itself is media responsibility.
The ‘almighty Ghanaian media’ is quick to use the mantra of media freedom as a first line of defence to cover their inefficiency and irresponsibility. The reputation of some hardworking Ghanaians both in public and private life have been impugned by the media on countless occasions as a result of naked inefficiency and irresponsibility.
In some circumstances, media personnel are used as proxies to fight political battles for their political godfathers in the court of public opinion. In fact, in some circumstances politicians masquerade as members of the media hiding under the cover of media freedom to destroy the hard won reputations of innocent Ghanaians in the name of partisan politics.
What is even annoying is the growing arrogance and pomposity of some of this nation’s media practitioners. They are omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. They don’t make mistakes and they are to be deified. How can a democracy survive and nourish under this despicable conditions of media arrogance?
If they are the guardians and watchmen of our democracy, who is there to watch them?
Is it not a human organization? Who do they think they are that nobody can point their fault to them but they have unfettered liberty to point other people’s faults to them and to the general Ghanaian public at times in an arrogant manner?
The aL-hAJJ has had enough of this tyranny and terrorism from the Ghanaian media and in this Ayariga case we are daring all those media houses and media personnel to do their worst.
Who do they think they are? They must know that the Ghanaian public is nowadays not enthused about their pomposity, lies, arrogance, deception, tyranny and terrorism.
This paper is well aware that many people in this country do not take our media serious because of the deception and the daily exaggerations of issues emanating from the various radio stations especially the private ones.
Ayariga has not committed any offence and so far as we at The aL-hAJJ are concerned what he said is also not offensive.
While we all Ghanaians must demand accountability from government officials on how a pesewa of public resources are expended, those media personnel complaining should have also highlighted the spectacular performance of the Black Stars in far-away Equatorial Guinea.
We could understand Ayariga’s frustrations and anger because we are tempted to believe that the chorus of noise about budget was to dampen the effects of the good news that the team came back with.
Black Stars have done well so let’s make sure that the celebration is short-lived or even muted.
The reason is to make sure that whatever political mileage could be accrued should be dampened.
That is the strategy and we are happy Ayariga has seen through that and is justifiably complaining. We are with you the Sports Minister and we hope you would continue to do your good work for mother Ghana.
Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga has launched a scathing attack on Ghanaian Journalists saying they are asking “useless questions” regarding the budget used by the Government and the Sports Ministry in taking part in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations that just ended in Equatorial Guinea.
“It is very unfortunate that you choose that this is what you will discuss. I thought that at this stage, those who are interested in sports in Ghana would now be asking me questions about how to sustain excellence in sports in Ghana, how are you going to get infrastructure for the development of sports in Ghana, how are you going to manage these players so that the next tournament they will be able to perform exceedingly well and take the cup, how are you going to make sure that all other national teams do so well? Sadly you are asking me about…the money that was spent on food,” Mr Ayariga said angrily in an interview with Captain Smart on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show.
“You are using valuable time to discuss useless matters, please, I think that this is very very regrettable and it will dampen the spirit of the boys who were trying to kill themselves only to come back and even the food that they ate, they will hear on radio that their minister is [answering questions] about the food that they ate. It’s sad it’s sad it’s sad,” he blurted.
He said: “If I decide to grant you an interview as a minister, I expect you to ask me useful questions…you want to take over the job of the Auditor? Are you the Auditor?”
Mr Ayariga Wednesday told Parliament that Ghana spent close to $6million on the tournament.
He said Government spent $4.774, 519.19 million dollars and Ghc3.242,580 million Ghana cedis which add up to $5.8 million.
The former Information Minister made this known on the floor of Parliament Wednesday, after he was authorised by the Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho to present a statement on the participation of the senior national football team in the tournament.
Ayariga explained that part of the amount went into the team’s camping in Spain as well as bonus payments.
The Sports Minister told the House that the government spent $932,740 and 3,243,580 Ghana cedis on the pre-tournament camping for the Black Stars.
For the three-week tournament 608,640 dollars was used for boarding, lodging and others for players and officials.
Ayariga also explained that 3.224, 139.20 dollars was spent on bonuses and honoraria for players, technical team and officials of the national team.
After presenting the breakdown to Parliament, numerous radio stations have been calling the Minister to seek clarifications on the figures but Mr Ayariga has met such calls with abrasion and aggression.
ports Minister Mahama Ayariga insists he will never apologize to journalists for describing a question during a media interview on the details of the Black Stars 2015 Africa Cup of Nations budget as “useless.”
Ayariga told Adom FM’s Captain Smart that he was asking “useless questions” when the Morning show host demanded the budget and the breakdown of the senior national team’s expenditure in Equatorial Guinea. There have been calls from some veteran journalists including the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt for Ayariga to express regret for his use of the phrase “useless question” but the Sports Minister insists he will never retract his statement since he was not wrong.
“If you can stand up to President Mahama and insult him on radio and tell him in his face that he is wrong, then you should also be told in the face when you are wrong. Why should I apologize? If your question is useless, it’s useless,” Ayariga told Montie FM.
Ayariga was also peeved with journalists for hurling insults at him on radio but was quick to state that he is not bothered about the verbal attacks and is prepared to fight this media tyranny.
“You cannot sit on radio and demand the budget when you are not an auditor. We should stand up and fight media tyranny. Journalists cannot tear me apart until I am wrong,” he added.
Ayariga was in Parliament on Wednesday revealing the breakdown of the expenditure of the Black Stars in Seville, Spain for the pre-tournament camping and at the AFCOn 2015 Equatorial Guinea, which came up to about $5.8 million.
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