Appointees of the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government continue to wantonly display opulence in the face of harsh economic conditions in the country.
Latest to be caught in the team of cash-spraying government officials is Roads and Highways Minister Inusah Fuseini.
At a time many Ghanaians are complaining of hardship, the cabinet minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, was captured in a video recording lavishly spraying cash at an event.
The minister said he had no regret splashing money on a musician at an album launch in Tamale recently, saying that he only sprayed about GH¢500.
In the video footage which has since gone viral on social media, Inusah Fuseini is seen happily dancing at a programme said to be an album launch in Tamale and spraying the money in various cedi denominations on a gentleman called Yamusah Mohammed Yason, known as Don Sigli in showbiz, a hiplife artiste whose album launch the minister attended.
Speculations were rife that apart from spraying cash on the musician, the minister also doled out GH¢20,000 to him but Don Sigli parried the claim, saying it was far from the truth.
As the gentleman sang heartily to the admiration of all who had gathered in the nicely decorated hall, Mr Fuseini, who spotted a white T-shirt on top of a pair of brown khaki trousers with a cap to match, emerged from nowhere with some cash in hand and started spraying it on the singer.
When the first tranche of the money got finished, he dipped his hand into his right pocket and brought more GH¢5 bills and threw them on the gentleman while some picked them on the floor.
At a point, he stopped to do a few dancing moves and again dipped his hand into his left back pocket for more cash as the crowd on the dancing floor gathered around him – with all dancing to the song entitled ‘Wumpini,’ translated in most of the northern languages as ‘God’s gift.’
This time around, he brought out GH¢50 notes and sprayed them on the gentleman amidst cheers from the crowd.
Others were seen doing same with a few GH¢1 and GH¢5 notes.
As the applause went high, the minister, who was still on the dancing floor, again dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out additional GH¢5 bills.
Before the three-minute video ended, he had pulled out GH¢10 notes from his pocket and started doling them out and passed a few of the notes to a gentleman who approached him for a handout.
This comes at a time many contractors are crying over non-payment of executed projects in his ministry.
No Regret
The Roads and Highways Minister said his action was only a show of support for the young musician.
“I was born into a tradition that rewards and appreciates people who show talent. That’s the way we support people. The money that was put on that person was to support him. He is a musician who was launching his CD and he invited me to support him, which I did. He had rented the hall, brought in a live band and he needed support; and I see it within that context,” he stated on Citi Fm’s ‘Big Issue’ programme.
According to him, he was given a red carpet treatment and like the proverbial saying that to whom much is given, much is expected, he did what he could.
“When I went in, they had given me a red carpet treatment, just like they do at Hollywood; and I spoke about why I was there and I don’t regret supporting him.”
Mr Fuseini claimed it was not the first time he was supporting a musician, mentioning Blakk Rasta, a popular radio presenter and Reggae musician, as a beneficiary of his generosity.
“Go back and look at the video. I spent not more than GH¢500. There were people who spent more than me in other gatherings. I agree; it’s because I’m a politician,” he said.
Musician Hits Back
The Tamale-based musician, Yamusah Mohammed Yason, denied media reports that the Roads Minister bought the new album for GH¢20,000 at the launch on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at the conference room of the Tamale Sports Stadium.
A report attributed to Rainbow Radio said, “GH¢56,000 was thrown on the ground at various stages of the performance while the minister also bought the album for GH¢20,000.”
Don Sigli, however, told myjoyonline.com that Mr Fuseini did not buy the album. He said the highest amount at which a CD was bought at the launch was $3,000 and was not coming from the minister.
“The highest buyer was Alhaji Fuzak, who is a contractor. Inusah Fuseini did not buy the copy and anybody who was at the launch will attest to this,” the musician said.
He said the minister threw cash on him while he performed but maintained that it was part of the culture of the people there.
He said the money gathered on the ground after all the performances was “between GH¢2,500 and GH¢3,000.”
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